Principal Investigator
John Reed
Project Team
Project Description
As part of the Robertson Coral Reef Program, we are working to:
- Promote deep and shallow coral reef conservation and education
- Research, survey, and protect deep sea coral communities
Our current work includes:
- Habitat mapping characterization of deep water reefs, in particular, Florida’s Oculina and Lophelia coral reefs
- Publishing and disseminating information to fishery management councils, the public, and legislators to implement legislation to protect these fragile resources and to provide future funding for these research projects
- Preserving and archiving irreplaceable collections at Harbor Branch (in situ photographs, submersible videotapes, museum specimens) from previous deep water expeditions with the Johnson-Sea-Link and Clelia submersibles
- Mining the data from these archives to compare with the current status of the deep coral reefs and to plan additional research on deep and mesophotic reefs in Florida, the Bahamas, and Caribbean
Our program for research and conservation of deep water coral reefs includes the Oculina coral reefs (depth: 200-300 feet) and Lophelia coral reefs (depth: 800-2,800 feet) off Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, and the deep mesophotic reefs (depth: 150-600 feet) of the Bahamas and Caribbean. Our previous research has been instrumental in discovery, protection, and conservation of these resources. Unfortunately, these reefs and others worldwide are threatened with destruction by bottom trawling for shrimp and fish. Through our efforts, we now have protection for over 300 sq. mi. of the Oculina reef ecosystem, the first Marine Protected Area (MPA) for deep water coral reefs in the world. Our current research on the deep water Lophelia reefs off Florida at depths of 2,500 ft has resulted in a recent proposal by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council for a 23,000-sq. mi. deep water coral habitat area of particular concern.
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