NOAA recently increased protections for nearly 500 square miles of deep-sea coral habitat in the Gulf of Mexico.
The new rules, created by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, ban bottom-tending fishing gear in 13 reef and canyon sites from the Florida Keys to Texas. Trawls, traps, anchors, and longlines are banned in most of them. Hook-and-line fishing and trolling are still be permitted, as these are less invasive and do not regularly disrupt the seafloor.
“We’ve been waiting a long time for this,” Gib Brogan, an Oceana senior campaign manager, tells NOLA.com. “It’s like Christmas in October.”
Deep-sea corals are a vital part of the Gulf’s ecosystem. Along with filtering water and promoting biodiversity, they act as a home for many seafood species such as snapper, grouper, shrimp, and crabs. They were severely harmed in 2010, by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and subsequent cleanup attempts — certain chemicals used to clean up the oil caused many corals to disintegrate.
Environmental groups are calling for a wider range of protections to limit further stressors. Holly Binns, who directs the Pew Research Center’s ocean conservation efforts in the Gulf, writes in a press release that experts initially identified 47 coral hot spots in need of protection in the Gulf, including the 13 newly protected areas.
“By protecting these ecosystems,” Binns wrote, “fisheries managers have shown their commitment to conserving vital habitat, which will benefit an array of marine life as well as current and future generations of anglers, commercial fishermen, seafood consumers, and countless others, all of whom reap benefits from a healthy Gulf of Mexico.”
Source: Sport Diver
