August 31, 2016 — When people think about coral and coral reefs, they usually think about crystal clear, warm waters with hundreds of fish and aquatic animals, all of which live in or on brightly colored corals. These coral reefs are usually in some tropical locale, just off the pristine white sand beach of some isolated island.
And while these coral reefs are certainly important – and very beautiful – they are not the only places to find coral in our oceans.
During the past few decades, scientists have delved deep in search of deep-sea corals, corals that live and grow under hundreds, if not thousands, of feet of water and with almost no natural light at all.
Deep-sea corals are weird, but beautiful, organisms we have discovered hidden in some of the strangest parts of our oceans and with each dive we take to find these corals, we learn a little bit more about them and their environment.
Because of the nature of their environment, searching for deep-sea coral can be painstakingly arduous. However, scientists and researchers have found a plethora of coral and reefs right along the Atlantic Coast of the United States, including off the coast of Maryland.
Most of the larger coral colonies tend to be found in the submarine canyons located off the Atlantic coast, such as the Baltimore, South Vries, Warr and Phoenix Canyons.
To preserve these areas, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved a Deep Sea Corals Amendment to the Mackerel, Squid and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan to help to protect areas that are known or highly likely to contain deep-sea corals.
In June 2015, the Deep Sea Corals Amendment was approved by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and is ready to be submitted to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. It is expected to be approved and go into effect in October.
This historic piece of legislation could be key to the long-term health and future of these crucial deep-sea coral colonies.