Corals are an important part of the deep sea. Oceans around the world support deep sea corals, some at depths of more than three and a half miles below the surface. Reefs are an important part of the deep sea ecosystem and provide vital habitat for marine life. Like their shallow water counterparts, deep sea corals off the Atlantic coast of the US create a refuge for sponges, crabs, lobsters, sea stars, and fish, including many commercially important species. These deep reefs can grow more than ten feet tall and live for hundreds of years. This recently discovered ecosystem also offers largely untapped potential for biomedical research and natural products. However, deep sea corals are incredibly slow-growing, fragile, and particularly vulnerable to disturbance. Entire reefs hundreds of years old can be destroyed in a matter of days by harmful activities such as bottom trawling and dredging.
In the Southeast U.S., deep sea corals create oases of special habitat along our coast and are extremely vulnerable to certain kinds of fishing such as bottom trawling and dredging. Both corals and fisheries are managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. In 2004 the Council responded to the convincing data provided by scientists and identified areas of coral that would be closed to bottom trawling and any other activity that disturbs the seafloor. The boundaries were updated in spring of 2006 to reflect recent research. However, the Council has yet to formalize these designations and the threat to corals remains.
The coral features designated for protection include (from north to south) Cape Lookout Banks, Cape Fear Banks, Stetson Reef, Savannah, East Florida, Miami Terrace, and Pourtales Terrace. These areas are represented by the black dots on the map.