On Dec 4 at mid day, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute's research vessel Seward Johnson sailed into the Straits of Florida for an unprecedented up-close look at the deep coral reefs that exist off Florida's central east coast. Harbor Branch at FAU senior research professor John Reed will spend the next six days mapping the deep Lophelia reefs that until now have remained hidden 50-100 miles off the coast of central Florida. This is made possible with support from the Waitt Institute for Discovery (WID) , using the absolute cutting edge in autonomous underwater vehicles operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to facilitate inspired collaborations with leading marine science organizations. Harbor Branch is proud to partner with WID and WHOI in the use of these CATALYST resources.

The CATALYST Program is a series of deep-sea expeditions that make available for the first time a highly portable and versatile deep-sea tool kit and operations team that is rapidly deployable all over the world. The CATALYST Program marks an unprecedented collaboration between the Waitt Institute for Discovery (WID) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)


CATALYST ONE PROJECT SYNOPSIS 

CATALYST ONE is the inaugural mission of the CATALYST Program and brings together the resources, expertise and assets of Waitt Institute for Discovery, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and  Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute  at Florida Atlantic University. 

A series of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) dives will be used to provide test trials for the two new Waitt Institute for Discovery AUVs under difficult environmental conditions including 3-5 knot surface currents in the Gulf Stream and over high relief reefs greater than 60 m (200 feet) tall. 

The AUV sonar surveys will occur on a deep-water coral reef system off eastern Florida at depths of 360-850 m (1,200- 2,800 feet). Ideally, we would like to map several reefs that need high definition bathymetric maps which are critical for research and conservation efforts focused on these deep-water reefs. Data compiled during the CATALYST ONE project will provide information on potential areas for designation of new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as well as areas of scientific interest for future research. 

The  South Atlantic Fishery Management Council  has proposed a 23,000-square-nautical-mile region from North Carolina to South Florida as a marine protected area for deep-water coral reefs. This proposal is based primarily on the research by  Harbor Branch  scientist  John Reed  and others promoting the protection of these magnificent reefs from destructive fishing such as bottom trawling for shrimp that is ongoing today. Currently there is no good detailed bathymetry of this region which could show the occurrence high-relief bottom indicating potential deep-water coral reefs. 

Surveys conducted over the past 10 years have discovered over 300 potential, high-relief, deep-water reefs off eastern Florida from Jacksonville to south Florida. Of these, Harbor Branch scientists have ground-truthed and described over 60 deep-water reefs during Johnson-Sea-Link manned research submersible dives. High definition side-scan sonar surveys are critically needed in this region to provide detailed data on the distribution of these deep-water reefs in order to protect them from impacts of bottom trawls, and to provide the best scientific data available in order to show where bottom trawling may be acceptable in order to avoid impact to live bottom habitat. 

The threat to deep coral habitat from energy production and impacts from fisheries is well known worldwide. An increased understanding of the ecology of these deep sea coral ecosystems will provide insight into processes that create and control these deep sea communities as well as provide data to allow fisheries and oil/gas production without damaging the reefs. These deep-water systems are at a disadvantage in gaining public empathy because few people will ever see them but they are just as important as shallow water reefs. Our data show that the deep-water reefs off Florida may exceed the area of all shallow reefs in U.S. waters. 

MISSION DATES: 12/04/08 to 12/11/08 

SCIENCE OBJECTIVES:

• CAT 1.1 -- AUV SURVEY OF DEEP-WATER LOPHELIA CORAL HABITAT AREA OF PARTICULAR CONCERN, Part I 
  Map areas within and adjacent to the proposed Deep-Water Lophelia Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HACPC) where low-resolution NOAA bathymetric charts indicate the possibility of undiscovered deep-water reefs.

• CAT 1.2 -- AUV SURVEY OF DEEP-WATER LOPHELIA CORAL HABITAT AREA OF PARTICULAR CONCERN, Part 2 
  Map the western edge of the primary Lophelia reef zone within the proposed Lophelia Habitat Area of Particular Concern, where commercial fishery interests (royal red shrimp) overlap known and possible deep-water reefs.

• CAT 1.3 -- AUV SURVEY OF DEEP-WATER OCULINA CORAL HABITAT OF PARTICULAR CONCERN 
  Map a portion of the Oculina Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern where nearly 100 reef balls have been placed for restoration experiments in areas of damaged corals.

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