Maps from study or data
In September 2014, NOAA Fisheries published a federal register notice that listed seven coral species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Council is collaborating with NOAA to host and maintain the ESA corals database in our coral portal. If you want to know where the corals are in the Gulf Of Mexico, check… Continue Reading ESA Coral Explorer
While corals have been resilient to changing oceans throughout time, oceans are changing at an unprecedented rate. Slow-growing corals may not be able to adapt quickly enough to survive so much variablity. This storyboard discusses factors that threated the health of our coral reefs. Launch site
Deep-water corals are some of the strangest habitats on earth. These corals live at depths of 1000 feet or more where sunlight doesn’t penetrate and where water temperatures can be near freezing. Traditional coral reefs are mostly made up of stony corals, but in the deep ocean, octocorals, black corals and stony corals all thrive.… Continue Reading Deep-water Coral in the Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is considering changes to current Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC) designation based on new information that has identified additional sensitive areas supporting deep-water corals in the Gulf. This map allows you to explore coral data and locations of current and recommended HAPCs. We understand that spatial data… Continue Reading Coral HAPC Explorer
In 2009, the National Marine Fisheries Service completed a Biological Opinion of the Spiny Lobster Fishery which concluded that spiny lobster trap fishing activities put sea turtles, smalltooth sawfish, and staghorn and elkhorn corals at risk. The Gulf and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils took action to address the concerns outlined in the Biological Opinion,… Continue Reading Spiny Lobster Closed Areas
