Coral Reef Ecology; Databases; Deep-Sea Corals; Research; Sponge
The database represents a new standard to catalyze progress in deep-sea coral and sponge
resource management and habitat suitability modeling. Records will be compiled continuously by NOAA,
and distributed online in a map atlas format beginning in 2015.
marine resources conservation; seamounts; submarine topography
Over the past decade, there has been a strong push to protect seamount communities from threats ranging from deep-sea fishing to harvesting of non-living marine resources. A number of resource protection mechanisms exist for seamounts, ranging from national legislation to multi-lateral agreements to conserve seamounts on the high seas, using the authority of international instruments.
coral reef ecology; deep-sea corals; management; marine ecosystem management; sponges; workshop report
On April 22–23, 2014, scientists and resource managers met in Honolulu to identify critical information needs for deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems in the Pacific Islands Region. The goal of the workshop was to develop a 3-year exploration and research priorities plan.
Deep Sea Corals; Geographical Distribution; Habitat; Imaging; Multibeam Mapping; Octocorallia; Sponges
To inform discussions of deep-sea coral management and fish habitat usage, we are providing the New England Fishery Management Council with a brief review of research surveys conducted in 2013 and 2014. These surveys identified coral-dominated communities in U.S. deep waters (200-250 m depth) of the northern Gulf of Maine. This report focuses only on geographic distributions of octocorals based on direct observations.
Benthos, Deep Sea Corals, Ecology, Habitat, Marine Ecosystem Management, Sponges, Site characterization
Benthic surveys were conducted in the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary aboard R/V Fulmar, October 3-11, 2012 using the large observation-class remotely operated vehicle Beagle. The purpose of the surveys was to groundtruth mapping data collected in 2011, and to characterize the seafloor biota, particularly corals and sponges, in order to support essential fish habitat designations under Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) and other conservation and management goals under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA).
Deep Sea Corals, Ecology, Habitat, Sponges
This article presents in situ observations of coral and sponge habitat and of fishes, crabs, and octopods to depths throughout the range of current fishing activities and well beyond those depths anticipated to be affected by fishing activities in the near future in the central Aleutian Islands.
bathymetric maps; hydrographic surveying; multibeam mapping
We assembled 2.1 million National Ocean Service (NOS) bathymetric soundings extending 1,900 km along the Aleutian Islands from Unimak Island in the east to the Russian border in the west, and ranging approximately 500 km north of the central Aleutians to Petrel and Bowers Banks, and also the surrounding deep waters of the southeastern Bering Sea. These bathymetry data are available from the National Geophysical Data Center (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov), which archives and distributes data that were originally collected by the NOS and others.
Black Corals; Coral Communities; Coral Reef Fishes; Corals; Deep-sea Ecology; Fish Surveys; Habitat; Monitoring; Research; Sponges; Underwater Exploration
In 2010, the Program initiated a three-year study to advance our understanding of deep-sea corals off the west coast of the U.S. As part of this study, we conducted a cruise during fall 2010, which focused on the biology and ecology of the Christmas tree black coral and their use by demersal fishes on three deep offshore banks in the Southern California Bight (Hidden Reef, Footprint, and Piggy Bank). Our report provides a summary of the methods and results from underwater surveys of these coral colonies and associated habitats, sponges, and fishes.
This Final Cruise Report provides a detailed analysis of the benthic habitats, biota, and fish
populations at each dive site based on the ROV photo/video transects, CTD casts, and multibeam
sonar surveys.
Coral Reef Conservation, Coral Reef Ecology, Coral Reef Management, Marine Ecosystem Management
This report describes the 2012 and 2013 research activities executed by NOAA project teams with funding provided by the Program. It also briefly describes progress during this period in Magnuson-Stevens Act related management actions that contribute toward protecting deep-sea coral areas.