Possible Sanctuary Expansion at Flower Garden Banks

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) is a hidden gem. It’s a little bit of the Caribbean about 115 miles (185 km) off the Texas/Louisiana coastline. This semi-tropical oasis contains some of the healthiest coral reefs in the entire tropical western Atlantic. It’s also a great dive destination. NOAA is currently developing a proposal to expand protection there, and they need your input.

If you haven’t been diving at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, now’s the time to book a trip. The reefs at East and West Flower Garden Banks feature plentiful coral cover. Living hard corals, with some colonies as big as small cars, cover over 50 percent of the reef cap. As the reefs get deeper, some sections feature as much as 70 percent coral cover.

The quantity of large groupers in the sanctuary is a sign of healthy reefs. Yellowmouth groupers are some of the most frequently seen, but many other species are also present. (Image: FGBNMS/G.P. Schmahl)

Although we can’t guarantee you’ll see a manta, there’s almost never a trip without some kind of sighting. (Image: FGBNMS/G.P. Schmahl)

Stoplight parrotfish are some of the most common parrotfish species in the sanctuary. (Image: FGBNMS/G.P. Schmahl)

It’s a real treat to find a golden smooth trunkfish during a dive. These fish are only found in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, and possibly Honduras. They are genetically the same as the black and white ones, but for some reason have this golden color morph. (Image: FGBNMS/Emma Hickerson)

If it’s megafauna you crave, you’ll likely see grouper, jacks, sharks, sea turtles and manta rays. In fact, researchers have identified this area as a manta-ray nursery, with many juvenile mantas spotted over the years. And, although there’s no guarantee with nature, there’s rarely a trip without some kind of sighting. Whale sharks are also a possibility in the summer months.

And finally, if you’re seeking tropical reef fish, there are enormous angelfish, tons of parrotfish, damsels, and wrasses about, as well as a few unique species like the golden smooth trunkfish. Rather than the usual black with white spots, these cute fish are bright yellow with white spots.

In the beginning

So, how did this special place join the National Marine Sanctuary System? It started with concerned divers back in the 1970s and 80s. In the 1970s, most of the divers were researchers. This underwater coral garden in the northern Gulf of Mexico, where no one expected corals to live, fascinated them. They began discussing the need to protect the banks from increasing human activities.

Soon, recreational divers started visiting the area as well. They also saw the need for protection of this unique dive destination, and in 1979, members of the Houston Underwater Club submitted a formal letter of nomination under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act of 1972. It wasn’t an easy road, but on January 17, 1992 President George H. Bush signed the designation papers making the Flower Garden Banks our 10^th national marine sanctuary. Stetson Bank joined the sanctuary in 1996.

Studies continue

Brain and star corals are the main reef builders here, several of which are considered threatened species. (Image: FGBNMS/G.P. Schmahl)

The reefs at East and West Flower Garden Banks start at 55 feet deep but are visible from the surface most of the time. (Image: FGBNMS/Emma Hickerson)

Some of the corals on the reef cap at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary are as big as small cars. (Image: FGBNMS/G.P. Schmahl)

The highest pinnacle at Stetson Bank is covered in ten-ray star coral and always swarming with reef fish. (Image: FGBNMS)

Today, FGBNMS covers 56 square miles of ocean bottom. Beautiful coral reefs that are accessible to recreational divers cover about one percent of the sanctuary. The other 99 percent is a combination of deep reefs, algal nodule fields, and silty mud bottom.

Large bushes of black coral provide hiding places for a variety of tropical fish, like these trumpetfish, in deep areas of the Flower Garden Banks. (Image: FGBNMS/UNCW-UVP)

Bright red gorgonians are found in the deeper areas around the Flower Garden Banks. (Image: FGBNMS/UNCW-UVP)

Many of the tropical reef fish on the reef cap, like this juvenile spotted drum, also reside in the deep habitats of the Flower Garden Banks. (Image: FGBNMS/UNCW-UVP)

Large, colorful gorgonians share habitat with smaller bottle brush black corals in many of the deeper areas around the Flower Garden Banks. (Image: FGBNMS/UNCW-UVP)

Deep areas are also full of life. Black corals, gorgonians, sponges, anemones, algae, and fish all use these lesser-known habitats. These mesophotic reefs may not be as well known, but they are equally vital to the health of the Gulf and worthy of protection.

And, there’s more of that all of over the northern Gulf of Mexico — other reefs and banks, shallow and deep, with amazing wildlife. Our three small banks don’t exist in isolation. They are actually part of a much bigger network that seems to connect with and support FGBNMS.

New Diving Horizons

This brings us to the next chapter in sanctuary history – sanctuary expansion. In 2012, the sanctuary published an updated management plan that included an action plan for sanctuary expansion. In 2016, FGBNMS released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) with five possible scenarios for expansion. “Alternative 3,” the preferred option, recommended adding 15 reefs and banks to the sanctuary, bringing the total size to 383 square miles.

Some of these recommended areas are within recreational-dive depths, so if they become part of the sanctuary, they will likely also become dive destinations. As with existing sanctuary areas, FGBNMS would install mooring buoys to protect from anchoring and make these areas more accessible to boaters.

Bright Bank has sponges, fire corals and occasional hard corals, although historically it had more. Even so, it is teeming with tropical fish. At about 19 miles east of East Flower Garden Bank, with a minimum depth of 95 feet, it is the nearest diveable reef to the Flower Garden Banks within the proposed expansion area. (Image: FGBNMS/UNCW-UVP)

Geyer Bank is a hotspot of color thanks to sponges, fire corals, leafy algae and giant anemones. At a minimum of 105 feet, it is the deepest of the dive-able reefs in the proposed expansion area and lies about 33 miles east of East Flower Garden Bank. (Image: FGBNMS/UNCW-UVP)

Habitat and wildlife at Sonnier Bank are very similar to those at Stetson Bank, with lots of fire coral, sponges, algae and occasionally eels. This mid-shelf bank is closer to shore than most of the banks in the proposed expansion areas and a minimum of 65 feet, making it very diveable. (Image: FGBNMS/UNCW-UVP)

Next steps for Flower Garden Banks

At several points in the sanctuary-expansion process there have been opportunities for public comment. Each time, scientists have analyzed the information and used it to guide the succeeding decisions. Now, based on the latest input, the sanctuary is in the final stages of putting together the document that will set the boundaries and regulations for a newly-expanded sanctuary. This too will be subject to a public comment period.

When that happens, the sanctuary needs your input. The recreational-dive community was an important constituency in putting forth and seeing through the original sanctuary designation. We’d like divers to continue to be involved in the sanctuary-expansion process.

Ocean protection and recreational opportunities go hand-in-hand in your national marine sanctuaries. To learn more about the proposed expansion and to stay in touch with Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, visit the website here, follow on Facebook or Twitter, or join an email list for updates.

Guest post by Kelly Drinnen, education & outreach specialist, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary