Deep-Sea Coral Archives - Page 2 of 3

New Discoveries and Management Decisions in the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program Report to Congress

April 30, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program just released its Report to Congress (PDF, 8.25MB). It showcases new accomplishments and scientific discoveries and summarizes exciting activities from 2018 and 2019. The deep sea is the largest habitat on Earth, and the least well known. Our research improved our understanding of deep-sea coral communities, supported management decisions, and leveraged joint priorities with different partners.

Improving Understanding of Deep-Sea Coral Communities

Deep-sea corals create habitat for countless species off of every coastal state in the country. They offer significant ecological value and support a number of U.S.-managed fishery species. These productive habitats provide spawning grounds for commercially important fish such as grouper, snapper, sea bass, and rockfish, as well as shrimp, and crab. The high biodiversity of deep-sea coral and sponge habitats has made them fertile ground for new species and new natural product discoveries.

NOAA significantly improved our understanding of deep-sea coral communities during the past two years. We supported large-scale underwater surveys of deep-sea coral communities throughout most regions of the country. As a result, NOAA and our partners:

Described 21 new deep-sea coral species
Discovered the most expansive area of deep-sea coral reefs known to date off the U.S. Southeast coast
Mapped 55,000 square miles of previously poorly understood seafloor in high resolution

Read the full release here

‘Like Christmas in October.’ Deep-sea corals get new protections in the Gulf of Mexico

October 19, 2020 — The federal government has approved new protections for 500 square miles of deep-sea coral habitat in the Gulf of Mexico.

The protected areas are scattered across 13 reef and canyon sites from Texas to the Florida Keys that support an abundance of sea life, including snapper, grouper and other fish favored by commercial and recreational fishers.

The rules, approved Thursday (Oct. 15) by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, prohibit fishing with bottom tending nets and other gear, which can rip apart corals that have lived for hundreds of years.

The environmental group Oceana has pushed for the protections for some 20 years.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for this,” said Gib Brogan, an Oceana campaign manager. “It’s like Christmas in October.”

Deep-sea corals, like their shallow and warm-water cousins, are actually colonies of small animals that build a common skeleton. But unlike tropical reef corals, deep-sea varieties live in cold, dark depths of up to 10,000 feet. Deep-sea corals form into tree, feather and fan shapes that host a variety of other species, including shrimp, crab and fish.

Read the full story at NOLA.com

Gulf’s deep-sea coral granted new protections by federal regulators

July 3, 2018 — Federal fisheries regulators have approved a plan granting new protections to some of the Gulf of Mexico’s oldest and most fragile stands of deep-sea coral.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council unanimously voted to designate about 480 square miles as Habitat Areas of Particular Concern, a status that would make them a priority for conservation and scientific study. The protected areas are broken up into 21 sites, most off the Louisiana coast.

The council’s designations have been submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Service for review. Final approval is expected after a two-month public comment period.

Environmental groups had been lobbying for the protections for years. The Pew Charitable Trusts, which gathered 16,000 signatures in support, called the council’s decision “a major milestone” for critically important marine habitat.

Read the full story at The Times-Picayune

Scientists: Climate change could punish fish habitats targeted for conservation

May 8, 2018 — Aquatic preserves created to protect sea life from Australia to the ocean off Mayport stand to lose huge numbers of fish as oceans warm in coming decades, researchers reported Monday.

The report in the journal Nature Climate Change concludes many of more than 8,000 places labeled as marine protected areas will be overtaken by effects of climate change without major reductions in carbon-dioxide releases worldwide.

“There has been a lot of talk about establishing marine reserves to buy time while we figure out how to confront climate change,” said Rich Aronson, a researcher at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne who co-authored the report with seven other scientists. “We’re out of time and the fact is we already know what to do: We have to control greenhouse gas emissions.”

Marine protected areas have grown mostly unnoticed over a generation, spreading to include big chunks of Florida’s coastline. The Oculina Bank, for example, a stretch of deep coral reefs near Vero Beach, was just a “habitat area of particular concern” when the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council attached a label to it in 1984. Rules against anchoring and fishing for snapper and grouper were added in the 1990s, then in 2000 the size more than tripled and new restrictions were added.

Read the full story at the Florida Times-Union

Fishermen suit against Atlantic marine monument moves ahead

March 27, 2018 — PORTLAND, Maine — Organizations suing to eliminate the first national marine monument in the Atlantic Ocean have gotten the OK to proceed with a suit designed to reopen the area to commercial fishing, which environmentalists fear could jeopardize preservation efforts.

The fishing groups sued to challenge the creation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument created by President Barack Obama in 2016. It’s a 5,000-square-mile area off of New England that contains fragile deep sea corals and vulnerable species of marine life such as right whales.

The fishermen’s lawsuit had been put on hold by a review of national monuments ordered by President Donald Trump’s administration in April 2017. Court filings at U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia say the stay was lifted in mid-March and the litigation can proceed.

Marine national monuments are underwater areas designed to protect unique or vulnerable ecosystems. There are four of them in the Pacific. The Northeast monument, the only one off the East Coast, is also an area where fishermen harvest valuable species such as lobsters and crabs.

“To lose a big area that we have historically fished has quite an impact on quite a lot of people here,” said Jon Williams, a New Bedford, Massachusetts, crabber and a member of plaintiff group Offshore Lobstermen’s Association. “It’ll raise attention to it a little bit, which it needs.”

The court ordered the federal government, which is the defendant in the case, to respond by April 16. A spokeswoman from the federal Department of Commerce declined to comment.

The lawsuit’s ability to move forward will hopefully prod the federal government to make a decision about the future of the monument, which is unpopular with commercial harvesters, Williams said. But a coalition of environmental groups is also intervening in the case in an attempt to keep the monument area preserved.

Read the full story at the AP News

Deep-sea coral habitat south of Cape slated for protection

February 6, 2018 — The New England Fishery Management Council voted last week to protect deep-sea coral from the effects of fishing across a large stretch of ocean located about 100 miles south of Nantucket.

“The main reason why the council wanted to take this action and protect them from fishing is they are long-lived and very sensitive to disturbance. They can easily be broken and take a long time to recover,” said Michelle Bachman, who works for the council and is the group’s habitat plan development committee chairwoman. “We know they have a special ecological connection to other species like invertebrates and fish.”

Once approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the 25,153 square miles of ocean will join a 38,000-square-mile coral protection area off the Mid-Atlantic, and another protected area off the Southeastern U.S. covering, in total, nearly 100,000 square miles of the Atlantic continental shelf ecosystem.

Deep sea corals are found all over the world at depths of between around 130 to 10,000 feet. Most occur at between 1,000 and 2,600 feet, according to what Florida State University researcher Sandra Brooke told The Pew Charitable Trusts. They exist in a twilight – sometimes pitch black – world where photosynthesis isn’t possible. Northern coral don’t form reef structures, but include individual “plants,” fans, trees, that can be brightly colored, 10 feet across and live hundreds to thousands of years, growing slowly.

“Although the council could have chosen stronger protections, the measure marks a major expansion of coral habitat shielded from dredging and dragging,” said Peter Baker, who directs ocean conservation efforts in the Northeast for The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Few fishermen set pots or tow nets or dredges where coral live on the steep canyon walls that descend from the table top of Georges Bank, but even an accidental jostling by a lobster or crab pot or line or a misplaced tow could cause irrevocable damage. Fishermen told the council they didn’t tow gear below 1,600 feet; the measure protected coral below the 2,000-foot contour established by the New England council last week. The lone exemption was for the red crab fishery, which has relatively few participants, said Bachman.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

NEFMC Postpones Coral Action for Continental Slope/Canyons

June 22, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council today adopted coral protection zones for the Gulf of Maine as part of its Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment. However, it postponed action for the Continental Slope south of Georges Bank in order to further develop an additional alternative. The Council’s Plan Development Team (PDT) will work with the Habitat Advisory Panel to further refine this new alternative. The Council’s Habitat Committee then will review the results and develop a recommendation for the full Council to consider. The timing of final action is uncertain.

Gulf of Maine

For the Gulf of Maine, the Council approved the following measures:

Outer Schoodic Ridge – The Council adopted a discrete coral protection zone for this area where bottom-tending mobile gear (trawls and dredges) will be prohibited. Other types of fishing gear will be allowed, including lobster traps/pots.
Mt. Desert Rock – The Council adopted a discrete coral protection zone for this area as well where bottom-tending mobile gear will be prohibited but other gears, including lobster traps/pots, will be allowed.
Jordan Basin DHRA – The Council designated a Dedicated Habitat Research Area in Jordan Basin on/around the 114 fathom bump site, which encompasses roughly 40 square miles. This designation is meant to focus attention on the coral habitats at this site. The Council believes additional research on corals and fishing gear impacts should be directed here. No fishing restrictions are proposed at this time.
Jordan Basin and Lindenkohl Knoll – The Council did not adopt any coral protection zones for either of these offshore Gulf of Maine areas or support any new fishing restrictions there.

Framework Items, Research Activities

The Council included a list of items that could be modified in the Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment through framework adjustments rather than through additional amendments. These include: (1) adding, revising, or removing coral protection zones; (2) changing fishing restrictions; and (3) adopting or changing special fishery programs.

The Council also agreed that anyone conducting research activities in coral zones would be required to obtain a letter of acknowledgement of these activities from the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office.

Read the full release here

Protection of deep-sea Atlantic corals up for debate

June 22, 2017 — A federal panel is considering protections for deep-sea corals in the Atlantic Ocean that would impact commercial fishing interests off New England.

A committee of the New England Fishery Management Council is looking at proposals to preserve corals in two key fishing areas, the Gulf of Maine and south of Georges Bank.

The committee decided Thursday to hold off on voting on options to protect corals near Georges Bank. Coral protections in the Gulf of Maine will be considered Thursday afternoon.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Jersey Herald

New England Fisheries Council to Consider Deep Sea Coral-Protection Rules

May 19, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The New England Fishery Management Council wants to hear from the public about proposed rules for new management areas to protect deep-sea corals in the Gulf of Maine and in the slope/canyon region south of Georges Bank.

At issue are several alternatives under consideration in the Draft Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment. The Council wants feedback from the public on which alternatives should be selected and why.

The public comment period will end on June 5, and the Council will take final action on the amendment during its June 20-22, 2017, meeting in Portland.

The Council is using its discretionary authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Act to identify and implement measures to reduce effects of fishing gear on deep sea corals in New England. One proposed amendment attempts to identify and protect concentrations of corals in select areas and restrict the expansion of fishing effort into areas where corals are likely to be present.

“Deep sea corals are fragile, slow-growing organisms that play an important role in the marine ecosystem and are vulnerable to various types of disturbance of the seafloor,” the Council wrote in a public hearing notice on May 18. “At the same time, the importance and value of commercial fisheries that operate in or near areas of deep sea coral habitat is recognized by the Council. As such, measures in this amendment will be considered in light of their benefit to corals as well as their costs to commercial fisheries.”

The Council’s preferred alternative for the inshore Gulf of Maine would prohibit mobile bottom-tending gear (trawls and dredges) within both the Schoodic Ridge and Mt. Desert Rock areas.

While an option to prohibit all bottom-tending gear, including lobster traps/pots, is still in the amendment, it is not the Council’s preferred alternative.

“The Council recognized the economic impact associated with preventing the lobster fishery from working within the inshore areas and acknowledged that shifts in effort to other locations could be problematic,” it wrote. “Preferred alternatives are an indication of which way the Council is leaning, but the Council is not obligated to select them for final action, so it is critically important that Maine fishermen who fish in these areas attend the public hearing or submit comments to let the Council know their views!”

Seven public hearings will be held from May 22 to 26:

Wednesday, May 24
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Sheraton Harborside
250 Market Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801

Thursday, May 25
5:00-7:00 p.m.
Ellsworth High School
299 State Street
Ellsworth, ME 04605

Friday, May 26, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Webinar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/98257139389273345

Written comments can be submitted via mail, email, or fax:

Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director
New England Fishery Management Council
50 Water Street, Mill 2
Newburyport, MA 01950

Email: comments@nefmc.org Fax: (978) 465–3116

Please note on your correspondence “Comments on Deep-Sea Coral Amendment”

Written comments must be submitted before 5:00 pm EST on Monday, June 5, 2017.

This story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

NEFMC to Host Coral Workshops to Solicit Input From Active Fishermen

February 22, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is hosting two workshops to bring together active fishermen who use bottom-tending mobile and fixed gear to discuss issues related to its Deep-Sea Coral Amendment. Advance registration is strongly encouraged. Here are the details.

PURPOSE: The Council is seeking guidance primarily from active fishermen who use trawls, traps or pots, gillnets, longlines, and/or dredges offshore in the Gulf of Maine and in the slope/canyon region south of Georges Bank. The Coral Amendment contains several alternatives that are under development. The Council is looking for: (1) industry feedback on fishing activity within proposed coral protection zones; and (2) help in refining management area boundaries to limit impacts to fishing operations while still providing protection for corals.

WORKSHOP #1, NEW BEDFORD, MA: Two days, beginning Monday, March 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and continuing into Tuesday, March 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA 02740.

AGENDA #1: The New Bedford workshop will focus on fishing activity in and around the amendment’s draft deep-sea canyon coral zones and shelf/slope broad coral zones south of Georges Bank. Generally speaking, these zones are deeper than 150 fathoms. NOTE — large pelagic fishermen who work in the canyon/slope region are not proposed to be impacted by the Coral Amendment.

MAP #1: A map of the area being addressed in Workshop #1 is available at zones south of Georges Bank.

REGISTRATION #1: New Bedford Registration Form.

WORKSHOP #2, PORTSMOUTH, NH: Single day, Wednesday, March 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Sheraton Harborside, 250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801.

AGENDA #2: The Portsmouth workshop will focus on fishermen and fishing activity in Jordan Basin and the Lindenkohl Knoll area of Georges Basin. NOTE — proposals for the inshore areas around Outer Schoodic Ridge and Mount Desert Rock are not the intended focus of this Portsmouth gathering.

MAP #2: A map of the area being addressed in Workshop #2 is available at Jordan and Georges Basins.

REGISTRATION #2: Portsmouth Registration Form.

GENERAL INFORMATION: Pre-registration is highly encouraged, even among stakeholders who have voiced an interest in attending but have yet to fill out a registration form. Both venues have limits on room capacity, and workshop organizers plan to distribute background materials and related information to registrants in advance of each event. Accurate head counts are important for planning purposes. Visit the Council’s Coral Workshops webpage for full details.

QUESTIONS: Contact Michelle Bachman, the New England Council’s habitat fishery analyst, at (978) 465-0492, ext. 120, email mbachman@nefmc.org.

Read the announcement from the New England Fishery Management Council here