Tennessee Reef Research-Only Area (Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary)

Tennessee Reef, off Long Key, is a Special-use “Research-only area” of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Under 15 CFR 922.164(e)(3) no one may enter it at all except in transit without interruption or under a NOAA research/education permit, and 922.164(e)(5) applies the Ecological Reserve/SPA prohibitions there as well — which expressly forbid “spearing” and “fishing by any means”. This is a stricter regime than the surrounding Sanctuary Preservation Areas.