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.