April 30, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program just released its Report to Congress (PDF, 8.25MB). It showcases new accomplishments and scientific discoveries and summarizes exciting activities from 2018 and 2019. The deep sea is the largest habitat on Earth, and the least well known. Our research improved our understanding of deep-sea coral communities, supported management decisions, and leveraged joint priorities with different partners.
Improving Understanding of Deep-Sea Coral Communities
Deep-sea corals create habitat for countless species off of every coastal state in the country. They offer significant ecological value and support a number of U.S.-managed fishery species. These productive habitats provide spawning grounds for commercially important fish such as grouper, snapper, sea bass, and rockfish, as well as shrimp, and crab. The high biodiversity of deep-sea coral and sponge habitats has made them fertile ground for new species and new natural product discoveries.
NOAA significantly improved our understanding of deep-sea coral communities during the past two years. We supported large-scale underwater surveys of deep-sea coral communities throughout most regions of the country. As a result, NOAA and our partners:
- Described 21 new deep-sea coral species
- Discovered the most expansive area of deep-sea coral reefs known to date off the U.S. Southeast coast
- Mapped 55,000 square miles of previously poorly understood seafloor in high resolution