The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program convened a two-day science priorities workshop on May 2-3, 2023 to build partnerships and set research priorities for the program’s four-year (2023-2026) Northeast Deep-Sea Coral Initiative.
We provide the first consideration of larval connectivity among deep-sea sponge populations along the southeastern coast of North America, illustrate the influence of the Gulf Stream on dispersal, and complement published distribution models by evaluating colonization potential.
cruise report; canyons
Beginning on August 24, 2016, a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers, aboard NOAA Ship Pisces, spent 12 days-at-sea exploring three deep-water canyons off the coast of North Carolina. Specifically, the team targeted Keller, Pamlico, and Hatteras canyons.
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deep-sea coral; refugia; density; photography; conservation
Octocorals had been considered a common component of the seafloor fauna in the Gulf of Maine, but it appears a century of impacts have reduced coral distribution to small refugia. Here we provide a preliminary report of a recent expedition that discovered dense coral garden communities at two sites >200 m depth.
Coral Reef Ecology; Deep Sea Corals; Management; Marine Ecosystem Management; Research; Sponges
The ultimate goal of the workshop was to identify steps necessary to improve the understanding needed to conserve and manage these deep-sea ecosystems. Workshop participants represented a broad range of stakeholders including the Federal government, the New England and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, academia, private industry, nongovernmental organizations and Canadian academic and governmental representatives
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.
The continental margin off the northeastern United States contains numerous, topographically complex features that increase habitat heterogeneity across the region. However, the majority of these rugged features have never been surveyed, particularly using direct observations. During summer 2013, 31 remotely-operated vehicle dives were conducted from 494 to 3271 m depth across a variety of seafloor features to document communities and to infer geological processes that produced such features.
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