This report summarizes the objectives, accomplishments, and outcomes of NOAA's West Coast Deep-Sea Coral Initiative, funded by the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program. The four-year initiative (2018-2021) was designed to explore, map, characterize, and conduct research on deep-sea coral and sponge habitats in the Pacific Fishery Management Council region, inclusive of waters off California, Oregon, and Washington.
In Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary region within the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, sponges thrive among diverse biological and geological habitats between 16–200+ m deep (i.e., coral reefs and communities, algal nodules, and coralline algae reefs, mesophotic reefs, patch reefs, scarps, ridges, soft substrate, and rocky outcrops).
Using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and towed camera system (TCS), deep-sea corals, sponges, and seafloor habitats were visually surveyed for the first time in areas of longtime trawl fishing off northern California. During an 11-day cruise aboard the R/V Point Sur 8-18 September 2014, researchers completed 6 dives with the AUV and 9 deployments of the TCS, and spent over 42 hours underwater at depths of 586-1169 meters from the Oregon-California border to the Mendocino Ridge.
This report presents the results of 15 projects conducted using Program funds from 2012–2015.
This report describes the 2016 and 2017 research activities partially or fully funded by the Program to meet NOAA’s mandate to identify, study, and monitor deep-sea coral areas.
The effort has greatly improved our understanding of deep-sea corals and sponges off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington, particularly within na
In 2023, a series of expeditions will help NOAA and partners to better understand the diversity and extent of ecologically important seafloor communities in
A multiyear, international study is using innovative technology to shed light on what red corals need to reproduce and sustain their populations, and how the