Looe Key

 ( Coral Reefs Of The Florida Keys ) 

Looe Key is a coral reef located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It lies to the south of Big Pine Key. This reef is within a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA). Part of Looe Key is designated as "Research Only," an area which protects some of the patch reefs landward of the main reef.

The reef is named after , which Ship grounding on the reef and sank in 1744.

In August 1994, RV Columbus Iselin, a research vessel owned by the University of Miami, ran aground on Looe Key and damaged approximately of living coral and a larger area of reef framework. In 1997, the University paid $3.76 million in natural resource damage claims to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In 1999, a restoration project involving placement of limestone boulders, pouring of concrete, and reintroduction of benthic species was undertaken by NOAA and its subcontractors. Columbus Iselin Coral Reef Restoration Project (NOAA), Retrieved 10 January 2011

The key was protected as Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary in 1981 until it was incorporated into Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in 1997.

==Gallery==

• NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Maps, Florida Keys East
• NOAA Website on Looe Key
• NOAA Navigational Chart 11445

• Barbara H. Lidz, Christopher D. Reich, and Eugene A. Shinn, Systematic Mapping of Bedrock and Habitats along the Florida Reef Tract—Central Key Largo to Halfmoon Shoal (Gulf of Mexico). USGS Professional Paper 1751. Tile 6, Looe Key
• Franko's Florida Keys Dive & Guide Map
• Benthic Habitat Map