Deep Sea Research and Technology Program 2018 Report to Congress
December 21, 2018
This biennial report to Congress summarizes the steps taken in 2016 and 2017 by NOAA to identify, monitor, and protect deep-sea coral areas, including the Deep-Sea Coral Research and Technology Program’s research activities and results.
NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program is within the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation. The program uses innovative partnerships to leverage resources and provide information needed to conserve deep-sea coral habitats.
The program was established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to identify, locate, and map deep-sea coral habitat in consultation with U.S. regional fishery management councils. The Act requires a biennial report to Congress summarizing the steps taken by NOAA to identify, monitor, and protect deep-sea coral areas, including the program’s research activities and results.
This report highlights the exciting discoveries of deep-sea coral habitats and new species found during Fiscal Years 2016 and 2017, from the middle of the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. These research activities include:
- Major fieldwork initiatives in the Pacific Islands and Southeast United States
- Research within NOAA sanctuaries on the West Coast
- Targeted analyses of data
- Outreach
- Expansion of the nation’s most comprehensive online database of deep-sea corals and sponges