Pickles Reef

Pickles Reef is a small coral reef located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It lies to the southeast of Key Largo, to the south the Key Largo Existing Management Area and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Unlike many reefs within the Sanctuary, this reef is not within a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA).

The reef gets its name from the Pickle Barrel wreck.

Another small reef called Snapper Ledge is nearby.

Approximate coordinates: 24°59′15″N 80°24′52″W / 24.98750°N 80.41444°W / 24.98750; -80.41444Coordinates: 24°59′15″N 80°24′52″W / 24.98750°N 80.41444°W / 24.98750; -80.41444

More Information

The name comes from cement-filled pickle barrels sunk here during the Civil War, roughly throughout the 1860's. These barrels came from all sorts of things back then, such as shipwrecks. These barrels are now covered with the largest pillar corals in the Keys. Numerous ledges and crevasses attract juvenile and tropical fish of many species. Visiting these locations is extraordinary in the sense that it has lots of history laid away on the bottom of the reef.^[1]

Gallery

• 

  Spotted trunkfish (Lactophrys sp.) at Pickles Reef, March 2008

• 

  A Stoplight parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) at Pickles Reef, March 2008

References

• NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Maps, Florida Keys East
• NOAA Map of Bouys at Snapper Ledge and Pickles Reef
• NOAA Navigational Chart 11464

Corals and coral reefs
Stony corals	Scleractinia Blue coral Brain coral Elkhorn coral Hermatypic coral Chalice coral Pillar coral Staghorn coral Table coral
Soft corals	Alcyonacea Black coral Bamboo coral Organ pipe coral Sea fans Sea pens
Coral reefs	Atoll reef Cay Fringing reef Microatoll Coral reef fish Census of Coral Reefs The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs Catlin Seaview Survey
Coral regions	List of reefs Deep-water coral African coral reefs Amazon Reef Andros, Bahamas Belize Barrier Reef Coral Sea Islands Coral Triangle Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Great Barrier Reef Maldives Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System New Caledonia Barrier Reef Pulley Ridge Raja Ampat Islands Red Sea Southeast Asian coral reefs
Coral diseases	Coral bleaching Black band disease Skeletal eroding band White band disease White pox disease
Protection	Coral Reef Alliance Coral reef protection Green Fins International Society for Reef Studies Project AWARE Reef Check Reef Ball
Other	Artificial reef Aquaculture of coral Coral dermatitis Precious coral Coral rag Coral reef organizations Coral sand Coralline alga Environmental issues with coral reefs Fire coral Reef resilience Rugosa (extinct) Symbiodinium Tabulata