Long-Term Monitoring at East and West Flower Garden Banks: 2019 Annual Report | Office of National Mairne Sanctuaries noaa.gov - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from noaa.gov Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Sanctuary Containing âHealthiest Coral Reefs in the Worldâ Just Tripled in Size Thanks to U.S. Government Protection
Feb 7, 2021
The Gulf of Mexicoâs largest coral sanctuary just got 200 percent bigger, now that the U.S. government formally approved the expansion of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
Ocean sponges and algae on Gulf of Mexico coral -NOAA
NOAA tripled the sanctuaryâs size, located off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas, to protect some of the healthiest and most beautiful coral reefs in the world.
âThey are special because they remain healthy,â said Dr. Tom Bright of Texas A&M University, known as âthe father of the Flower Garden Banks.â
NOAA Triples Gulf of Mexico Marine Sanctuary Area
GALVESTON, Texas, January 22, 2021 (ENS) – One of the last acts of the outgoing Trump administration was taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, which has tripled the area protected by the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico.
On January 19, NOAA issued the Final Rule for expansion of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. This action protects 14 additional reefs and banks, slightly adjusts the boundaries of the sanctuary’s original three banks, and expands the sanctuary from 56 square miles to a total of 160 square miles.
Gray snapper swim past a pinnacle covered in fire coral at Sonnier Bank, a popular area for fishing and shallow enough for scuba diving in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (Photo courtesy NOAA)
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By NOAA – Shipwrecks are the stuff of epic tales and imagination. Some sank in battle, some in transit. They were war machines, whalers and luxury cruise liners. Their doomed crew and passengers became legends. Rich and poor, from Gilded Age millionaires luxuriating at sea to sailors and deckhands in service to their country. But how are they found and protected in United States waters?
Shipwrecks have been honored in story and song through the centuries, from the Edmund Fitzgerald of Gordon Lightfoot’s song to Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Melville’s Moby-Dick. Even Shakespeare had his say in The Tempest, when the spirit Ariel sings, “Full fathom five thy father lies,” to the shipwrecked Ferdinand.
Flower Garden Banks to be expanded in the Gulf of Mexico
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Hawksbill turtle is one of two turtle species that calls Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary home during part of its life.G.P. Schmahl/Courtesy NOAAShow MoreShow Less
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Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary has been identified as a nursery area for manta rays. It is one of the very few places identified worldwide. (Marissa Nuttall/Courtesy NOAA) Show MoreShow Less
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Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is getting expanded to protect more reefs and banks in the Gulf of Mexico.
In the final rule issued Tuesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the marine sanctuary will be expanded to 160 square miles, up from 56 square miles, and will protect 14 additional reefs and banks.