NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today highlighted a “successful” Southeast Deep Coral Initiative, which involved a multi-year study of deep sea corals and sponges in the U.S. South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean.
NMFS noted that the study resulted in a 450% increase in coral and sponge observations in the West Florida Wall, revealed that the central Blake Plateau is covered with extensive mound features, and improved understanding of relationships between commercial important snappers and coral and sponge communities through collaborative research in Puerto Rico.
NMFS added that the project “provided important information needed to support the management of fishing and other activities that may affect deep-sea coral ecosystems throughout the region.”
