Deep Sea Coral Research

and Technology Program

2020 Report to Congress
Black corals often resemble bushes or trees. Some black corals may be the 

world’s oldest living marine creatures. This black coral off Hawaii was estimated 

to be more than 4,000 years old. 

Deep-sea stony corals range from small individual cups to large branching 

species, like this colony off eastern Florida, that form extensive deep-water 

reefs growing up to 300 feet tall over millennia. 

Gold corals, some of which have been harvested for jewelry, are unique in that 

they grow on the skeletons of other deep-sea corals and can live for thousands 

of years. 

Gorgonians, like this fan-shaped colony of red coral on a California seamount, 

are among the most diverse. There are nearly as many known deep-sea coral 

species as shallow coral species. 

Lace corals are only distantly related to other corals. Most deep-sea corals 

grow extremely slowly. Once damaged, corals and the communities they 

support may take centuries to recover, if they recover at all. 

Sea pens are related to gorgonians but unlike most other deep-sea corals, they 

live in soft sediments where they form large fields. Along with sponges, corals

form the most important living habitats in the deep sea. 

“The cooperation and collaboration with NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology 

Program and Office of Ocean Exploration and Research over the past years to map, explore,

and discover new complex deepwater ecosystems in the South Atlantic region continues to

validate and reinforce the Council’s conservation of the most extensive deepwater ecosystem

in the world. Who needs to go to Mars when every new dive into the abyss illuminates a world

of wonder and discovery in systems that in some cases have been building over thousands of

years?” — Jessica McCawley, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Chair

FRONT COVER: Vermillion rockfish with gorgonian coral on the northeast wall of Santa Cruz Canyon in 

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Image courtesy of NOAA and Marine Applied Research and 

Exploration. BACK COVER: A rare sighting of orange stony coral located at 500 meters depth at Many 

Mounds on the West Florida slope. Image courtesy of NOAA Southeast Deep Coral Initiative and Pelagic 

Research Services.
 

Deep Sea Coral Research

and Technology Program

2020 Report to Congress 

Developed Pursuant to Section 408 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 

and Management Act, as Amended by Public Law 109-479 in 2007 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OVERVIEW ...................................................................................................................................... 2 

FOCUS ON THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES............................................................... 5 

FOCUS ON THE WEST COAST ................................................................................................. 8 

NORTHEAST UNITED STATES MANAGEMENT DECISION......................................10 

FISH ASSOCIATIONS IN ALASKA........................................................................................10 

U.S. PACIFIC ISLANDS DISCOVERIES ................................................................................11 

SECURING THE FUTURE OF DEEP-SEA CORAL HABITATS ....................................12 

A commercially targeted wreckfish captures and eats a shark in front of a newly fallen billfish 

in a field of corals and sponges off South Carolina. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of 

Ocean Exploration and Research.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1 
High densities of bamboo corals and glass sponges were observed on the West Florida Escarpment at a depth of 7,900 feet. 

This discovery is among the deepest high-density communities recorded in the Gulf of Mexico. Image courtesy of the NOAA

Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.

NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program

2 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Overview 

Deep-sea corals create habitat for countless species off

every coastal state in the country, offering significant

ecological value and supporting a number of U.S.-

managed fishery species. These productive habitats

provide spawning grounds for commercially important

fish, such as grouper, snapper, sea bass, and rockfish, as

well as shrimp and crab. They also provide shelter for

an unknown number of species that are new to science,

many of which could be useful in ways we do not yet

understand. NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and

Technology Program, herein referred to as Program, is 

the nation’s only federal research program dedicated

to increasing scientific understanding of deep-sea

coral ecosystems. The Program works closely with the

nation’s eight regional fishery management councils

to address key fishery management needs and inform

decision-making. The Program’s research also supports

resource management in other sectors of the ocean

economy, including aquaculture, renewable energy, and

potential future resource uses such as deep-sea mining.

Each sector requires knowledge of deep-sea coral

locations to mitigate damage to these valuable and

vulnerable habitats. 

This report summarizes fiscal year 2018 and 2019

activities that supported management decisions,

improved our understanding of deep-sea coral

communities, and prioritized partnerships to enhance

operational efficiency and effectiveness. Operating

through NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Habitat Conservation,

and funded at approximately $2.3 million annually

to support national-scale research, the Program

collaborates widely to cost-effectively study the role of

corals in support of deep-sea ecosystems. 

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Sea fan with brittle star associates south of St. Thomas in the U.S. Caribbean. Living on a sea fan may help these 

brittle stars access more food than they could on the seafloor. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean 

Exploration and Research.

2020 Report to Congress

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 3 

Supporting Management Decisions

Over its decade of operations, the Program has worked 

closely with fishery management councils and other 

resource managers to conduct research that has 

informed numerous management actions. Program

data informed habitat conservation decisions in 

2018-2019 by the Pacific, New England, and Gulf of 

Mexico Fishery Management Councils. These councils 

proposed new fishing regulations that would enhance 

conservation of more than 160,000 mi2

 of seafloor 

habitats—most designed explicitly to protect deepsea corals—and reopen approximately 3,000 mi2

 of 

less vulnerable habitat to fishing. Program data also 

informed boundary expansions, condition reports,

expedition planning, and/or outreach and educational 

materials for seven national marine sanctuaries. 

Managers in every region of the United States have

now used the Program’s discoveries and scientific

findings to make informed decisions about fishing

regulations, protected area boundaries, aquaculture 

planning, precious coral harvest management, and 

more. Ultimately, the Program provides information

that helps fishery management councils and other

natural resource managers take actions to enhance the

sustainability of deep-water fisheries and other ocean

uses, while conserving vulnerable and biologicallydiverse habitats. 

Improving Understanding of Deep-Sea 

Coral Communities

The Program supports new research to improve

scientific understanding of deep-sea coral

communities and the ecosystems they support. In

2018-2019, researchers discovered rich and diverse

coral habitats and described 21 new deep-sea coral

species in the Western Pacific, North Pacific, Pacific,

and Caribbean regions. To aid discovery of coral

communities and our understanding of species

distributions, NOAA and partners mapped 55,000 mi2 

of previously poorly understood seafloor.

Building Partnerships to Enhance 

Efficiency and Effectiveness

With new management challenges on the horizon—

such as ocean acidification, climate change, and 

expanding human activities in the deep sea—

partnerships are more valuable than ever before. 

These alliances enable us to efficiently and effectively 

pursue joint priorities by leveraging complementary

areas of expertise and resources. Working together 

makes the difference between simply locating 

unknown deep-sea corals and better understanding 

genetic identification, aging, damage and recovery 

assessment, population connectivity, and habitat 

prediction. With an improved understanding of these 
A portion of the many 

partners involved in 

NOAA’s deep-sea coral 

research efforts.

NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program

4 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The Program operates by rotating through regional research initiatives. Currently, each region receives approximately $2.4 million 

over 4 years to improve our knowledge of deep-sea corals and the ecosystems they support. The Program is funded annually at 

approximately $2.3 million. This report covers activities and management results in 2018-2019 (highlighted in gray).

Regional Initiative 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

South Atlantic X X X X X 

West Coast X X X X X X X 

Alaska X X X X X X X X X 

Northeast X X X X X X X 

U.S. Pacific Islands X X X X X 

Southeast (South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, U.S. Caribbean) X X X X 

Timeline of Regional Initiatives

elements, we can advance the state of deep-sea science 

and carry out NOAA’s mission to understand our ocean, 

share knowledge and information, and conserve and 

manage ecosystems and resources. 

We have had the honor and will continue to work with

many partners, including NOAA’s National Centers 

for Environmental Information, National Centers for 

Coastal Ocean Science, Office of Ocean Exploration

and Research, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries,

Fisheries Science Centers, and Fisheries Regional

Offices. Our external partners include U.S. regional

fishery management councils, Bureau of Ocean Energy

Management, United States Geological Survey, Fisheries

and Oceans Canada, Ocean Exploration Trust, and

numerous universities, tribes, industry groups, and

non-governmental organizations. 
Thickets of stony coral, like these off the east coast of Florida, take 

millennia to grow and can reach hundreds of feet in height. New 

coral mounds are discovered each year and collectively create 

a globally unique ecosystem in Southeast U.S. waters. Image 

courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.

Rocky outcrops and overhangs covered with deep-sea corals 

and sponges in and around the Pourtalès Terrace Habitat Area of 

Particular Concern, south of the Florida Keys. Image courtesy of 

the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.

2020 Report to Congress

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 5 

Focus on the Southeast United States 

Results from our research efforts are enabling the 

Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery 

Management Councils to refine seafloor protections 

while allowing sustainable fisheries to thrive. The 

Program’s collaborative 4-year research initiative in 

the deep waters off the U.S. Southeast coast, co-led 

by the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, 

accomplished the following. 

• In 2018, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 

Council approved 21 new Habitat Areas of 

Particular Concern. Thirteen of these areas, 

covering 304 mi2, include regulations to protect 

deep-sea corals from damaging fishing gear. 

Boundaries were largely informed by Programsponsored data collection, and include the first 

coral habitats deeper than 650 feet to be protected 

in the Gulf. This result is one of the most enduring 

outcomes of the initiative. 

• Resource managers used Program data to exclude 

known and predicted deep-sea coral locations from 

newly permitted golden crab harvest areas off 

the west coast of Florida. 

• Recent expeditions off the U.S. Southeast coast 

revealed the most expansive areas of deep-sea 

coral reefs yet discovered in U.S. waters. One 

recently discovered region off the east coast of 

Florida, extending more than 200 miles, with a 

width of 35 miles in some areas, encompasses 

thousands of large deep-sea coral reefs. These 

and other discoveries will be available to inform 

upcoming management decisions by the South 

Atlantic Fishery Management Council. 

• Production of the first regional habitat suitability 

models (that identify likely and potential locations 

of deep-sea corals) will aid the Caribbean Fishery 

Management Council in upcoming decision-making.

• Researchers documented more than 10,000 new 

observations of corals and sponges during 2018-

2019, and are still analyzing data for more exciting 

discoveries. 
NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and

Research (OER) mapped over 13,000 mi

2

 of 

the Stetson-Miami Terrace Deepwater Coral 

Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC) 

at the request of the South Atlantic Fishery

Management Council in collaboration with the 

Southeast Deep Coral Initiative. 

NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program 2020 Report to Congress l 2018 Surveys s 2019 Surveys 

Highlights from 2018-2019 Research Activities Across U.S. Southeast Waters 

Surveys targeted proposed HAPCs 

to provide baseline data. These data 

informed the Gulf of Mexico Fishery 

Management Council’s decision to 

combine three small proposals into one 

larger one to sufficiently protect habitat.

NOAA’s Southeast Regional Office used

Program data to inform the boundaries of a 

Golden Crab Experimental Fishing Permit 

area. 

OER’s documentation of a feeding frenzy 

on a newly fallen swordfish and resulting

network of predation attracted more than 

200 news articles covering the expedition. 

Researchers discovered an 85-mile-long 

coral reef complex ~2,600 feet deep in a 

Coral HAPC. The reef likely began before 

modern humans evolved. 

The central Blake Plateau was thought to be 

flat and featureless until recent expeditions

showed hundreds of thousands of years of 

growth created a “coral highway” — one of 

the largest aggregations of Lophelia pertusa 

coral reefs found. 

NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean 

Science is developing a coral field guide,

habitat models, and connectivity studies 

for the U.S. Caribbean with the NOAA 

Coral Reef Conservation Program, and the 

Environmental Protection Agency. 

Exploration of the West Florida slope 

has revealed extensive coral habitat and 

diverse communities as deep as 8,200 

feet. 

Building on years of Program-funded 

data, Flower Garden Banks National 

Marine Sanctuary has proposed boundary 

expansions to better protect coral habitat. 

Expeditions supported 

new maps and 

samples of deep-sea 

corals and sponges, 

including the deepest 

Caribbean sample yet 

at almost 16,000 feet 

depth. 

“Data rescue” gathered unanalyzed information from 

29 Southeast expeditions by NOAA and Florida Atlantic 

University during 1988-2014 to aid restoration and 

management following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. 

NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center 

led an innovative project with hook and line 

fishermen to capture video of 215 queen 

snapper fishing sites. They found 66 species 

of fishes and deep-sea corals were present

in up to 78 percent of areas surveyed. 

6 7 
NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program

 

Focus on the West Coast 

In 2018, the Program launched a collaborative 4-year

research initiative in U.S. West Coast waters, co-led 

by the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Research

was prioritized to better understand deep-sea coral

habitat in 1) areas that were under consideration for 

reopening to or restrictions from fishing, 2) areas

with relatively high coral bycatch, and 3) areas within 

Highlights from 2018-2019 research activities across U.S. West 

Coast waters, targeted in 1) areas that were under consideration 

for reopening to or restrictions from seafloor-contact fishing, 

2) areas with relatively high coral bycatch, and 3) areas within 

national marine sanctuaries.

the five West Coast national marine sanctuaries (see

map). To date, the following have been accomplished. 

• The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted

to reopen more than 3,000 mi2 of historically 

important fishing grounds, and add more than

10,000 mi2 of new fishing closures to protect

important habitat for hundreds of commercial

species. As a precautionary measure, an additional 

123,000 mi2 of unfished deep habitats were

closed to seafloor-contact gear to protect deepsea corals. These landmark actions, informed by

Program data and fishing and conservation groups,

present a unique opportunity to study deep-sea

coral damage, recovery potential, and habitat

management implications. 

Two canary rockfish in a field of sponges off Daisy Bank 

at a depth of 450 feet. Daisy Bank, off the coast of Oregon, 

was closed to seafloor trawling in 2006, and surveys are 

now assessing the effects of more than a decade of seafloor 

protection. Image courtesy of NOAA and the Global Foundation 

for Ocean Exploration.

8 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Technological Advances in Species Identification

The Program has supported the development of scientific techniques that advance our ability to detect 

and identify deep-sea corals, sponges, and associated fishes. Environmental DNA is cellular material shed 

by every living organism into the water column, and is well-preserved in the cold, dark, salty waters of 

the deep sea. By analyzing eDNA in conjunction with visual surveys, we can more effectively identify 

species that are present in or around 

a particular area. In the future, eDNA 

analyses will likely be a primary 

technique to detect species of value 

without relying on surveys or the 

collection of organisms. 

2020 Report to Congress

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 9 

• Aquaculture planning off California avoided 

known and potential deep-sea coral and sponge 

habitats by considering Program data, as well as 

Program-supported models of predicted coral

habitats that have not yet been explored. 

• Major expeditions to improve understanding of

West Coast deep-sea habitats were supported by the

Program in partnership with other NOAA offices and

federal agencies as a cornerstone of the collaborative 

Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of

Submerged Systems (EXPRESS) campaign. One

of these expeditions, co-funded by the National 

An Aurora rockfish rests near the diverse 

corals and sponges of Mendocino Ridge 

off the coast of California. The ridge 

rises more than 3,200 feet above the 

ocean floor, and is a site of high coral 

and sponge bycatch. Image courtesy of 

NOAA and Marine Applied Research and 

Exploration.

Oceanographic Partnership Program, enabled 

land-based researchers to view and help guide 

live surveys of deep-sea coral habitat for the first

time on a NOAA Fisheries-led expedition. 

• Five newly described species of coral were 

found in West Coast waters, including one

that was observed in three national marine 

sanctuaries. Program-supported development of

new environmental DNA (eDNA) technology has

significantly helped advance our understanding of

deep-sea coral identification and distribution (see

box). 

Analysis of eDNA sampled off the coast of 

California identified mushroom coral (circled) as 

the dominant signal, as well as six other coral and 

five rockfish species not visible in images taken 

nearby. Coral image courtesy of NOAA and Marine 

Applied Research and Exploration; fish images 

courtesy of the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science 

Center.
Striped shrimp on bubblegum coral in a Northeast U.S. canyon 

near large Atlantic Halibut (an endangered species) and derelict 

fishing gear. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean 

Exploration and Research.

Rich coral and sponge habitat at a depth of 330 feet in the Western 

Aleutian Islands. Image courtesy of NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries 

Science Center.

NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program

10 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Northeast United States Management Decision 

Based on Program-collected information, the New 

England Fishery Management Council voted to protect 

its entire area deeper than ~2,000 feet from 

most seafloor-contact gear. If enacted, the Omnibus 

Deep-Sea Coral Amendment would protect more than 

25,000 mi2, and cover an estimated 75 percent of 

known and predicted coral locations in and around 

deep-sea canyons in the region. The amendment would

also protect an additional 40 mi2

 of habitat in the 

Gulf of Maine, and complement recent deep-sea coral 

protections enacted in the Mid-Atlantic region. 

Fish Associations in Alaska

Program-funded research by the Alaska Fisheries

Science Center demonstrated a strong association

of commercially valuable rockfishes with seafloor

structure. The research concluded that removal of 

deep-sea corals and sponges is likely to reduce 

the overall density of rockfishes. Deep-sea corals

and sponges across the region, and surrounding

the Aleutian Islands in particular, are valuable

for multiple life stages of commercially important

rockfishes, as well as Atka mackerel, Pacific cod, and

other species. 
Twenty-one new deep-sea coral species were described in U.S. waters in this reporting period, including 

(A) Callogorgia cracentis, (B) Calyptrophora lyra, (C) Calyptrophora carinata, (D) Calyptrophora pourtalesi, 

(E) Calyptrophora distolos, (F) Macroprimnoa ornata, (G) Narella merga, (H) Narella fordi, (I) Narella virgosa, 

(J) Narella calamus, (K) Narella aurantiaca, and (L) Paracalyptrophora spiralis.

High-density “garden” of gorgonian corals and biodiversity 

hotspot on a seamount in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National 

Monument. Image courtesy of the Ocean Exploration Trust.

2020 Report to Congress

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 11 

U.S. Pacific Islands Discoveries

Program-funded analyses by the University

of Hawai‘i documented more than 300,000 

previously unknown deep-sea coral and 

sponge individuals and 66 new high-density 

communities of significant conservation value. 

These observations included eight new carnivorous 

sponge species and 13 new gorgonian coral species. 

The Program also partnered with the Ocean

Exploration Trust to conduct the first surveys of a 

seamount chain included in the 2016 expansion of

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

Program-supported discoveries have helped the

Western Pacific Fishery Management Council update

management of precious coral harvesting. 
Examples of deep-sea coral communities discovered by the Program and partners in areas vulnerable to seafloor-contact fishing: 

a) Dense coral gardens at a depth of 730 feet in the Gulf of Maine’s Western Jordan Basin; b) Coral gardens on the edge of the StetsonMiami Terrace Deepwater Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern off the east coast of Florida at a depth of 2,500 feet. Images courtesy of 

NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center/University of Connecticut, and the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.

Old and new fishing line entangled with a coral colony near the 

Pourtalès Terrace Habitat Area of Particular Concern, south of 

the Florida Keys. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean 

Exploration and Research. 

NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program

12 U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Securing the Future of Deep-Sea Coral Habitats 

Deep-sea corals are vulnerable to damage from

fishing, energy exploration and development, cable

deployment, and other activities that disturb the

seafloor. For more than a decade, we have made

significant progress in locating deep-sea corals

and sponges. These advances inform management

decisions that may affect vulnerable and valuable

coral habitat, while allowing for activities such

as fishing in areas where damage is less likely or

impactful. New research by the Program and its

partners is identifying benefits of these management

actions, as well as previously unknown but important

deep-sea coral habitat that may be at risk from

interactions with seafloor-contact fishing gear.

We have yet to explore the majority of the nation’s deep 

seafloor or assess its habitat potential. Most deep-sea 

corals grow extremely slowly, and some build reefs 

over hundreds of thousands of years. Once damaged, 

corals and the communities they support may 

take centuries to recover, if they recover at all. The 

Program and its partners are committed to continuing 

research activities that improve our understanding 

of deep-sea coral communities, and aid resource 

managers in developing and evaluating management 

options for these valuable habitats—on which U.S. 

fisheries and communities depend.

For more information about the Deep Sea Coral

Research and Technology Program’s accomplishments, 

please visit this report’s online appendices with 

information and regional maps describing areas known

to support dense deep-sea coral habitats, including

those that currently have limited protections. 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Section 408: 

Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program

(a) IN GENERAL—The Secretary, in consultation with appropriate regional fishery management Councils and 

in coordination with other Federal agencies and educational institutions, shall, subject to the availability of 

appropriations, establish a program

(1) to identify existing research on, and known locations of, deep-sea corals and submit such information to 

the appropriate Councils;

(2) to locate and map locations of deep-sea corals and submit such information to the Councils;

(3) to monitor activity in locations where deep-sea corals are known or likely to occur, based on best 

scientific information available, including through underwater or remote sensing technologies and submit 

such information to the appropriate Councils;

(4) to conduct research, including cooperative research with fishing industry participants, on deep-sea corals 

and related species, and on survey methods;

(5) to develop technologies or methods designed to assist fishing industry participants in reducing 

interactions between fishing gear and deep-sea corals; and

(6) to prioritize program activities in areas where deep-sea corals are known to occur, and in areas where 

scientific modeling or other methods predict deep-sea corals are likely to be present.

(b) REPORTING- Beginning 1 year after the date of enactment of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, the Secretary, in consultation with the Councils, shall submit biennial 

reports to Congress and the public on steps taken by the Secretary to identify, monitor, and protect deep-sea coral 

areas, including summaries of the results of mapping, research, and data collection performed under the program. 

Link to Online Appendices: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/deep-sea-coral-research-and-technology-program-2020-report-congress

Link to NOAA Deep-Sea Coral & Sponge Map Portal: https://deepseacoraldata.noaa.gov/

Budget Component Region 2018 Funding 2019 Funding

Southeast fieldwork South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, 

Caribbean $741,147 $690,664

West Coast fieldwork Pacific $381,125 $801,400 

Pacific Islands fieldwork Western Pacific $100,000 -

Genetic identification and data 

analysis 

North Pacific, Pacific, Western 

Pacific, New England, Mid-Atlantic $319,810 $138,000 

National Database management

and data analysis software 

development 

National $390,000 $281,000 

Program coordination National $320,851 $343,423 

NOAA Fisheries administration National $69,272 $66,675

Total $2,322,205 $2,321,162

2020 Report to Congress

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 13 
-

- - -

U.S. Department of Commerce 

Gina M. Raimondo

Secretary of Commerce 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

Benjamin Friedman 

Deputy Under Secretary for Operations, 

performing the duties of Under Secretary of 

Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and 

NOAA Administrator 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

Paul Doremus 

Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries 

April 2021

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat

-conservation/deep-sea-coral-habitat

https://deepseacoraldata.noaa.gov/

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