Deep Sea Coral Research 

and Technology Program

2022 Report to Congress

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service
Major Groups of Structure-Forming Deep-Sea Corals

Along with sponges, corals form the most important living habitats in the deep sea. Several groups of 

deep-sea corals form structures that support other forms of marine life. 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.

Black corals often resemble bushes or trees. Some black corals are among 

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. A few branching species, like this colony off eastern Florida, can 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 the most diverse type of deep-sea corals. 

Lace corals are only distantly related to other corals. They live predominantly 

in deep water, and in U.S. waters are particularly abundant and diverse off 

Florida and the Aleutian Islands.

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

they predominantly live in soft sediments where some species can form large 

fields.

FRONT COVER—Main image: Several different vibrantly colored animals, including a mushroom coral 

(center), precious pink coral (right), bamboo coral (left), and feather stars (center) near Jarvis Island in 

the U.S. Pacific Islands. Credit: NOAA Ocean Exploration. Bottom banner images: Left: Northern rockfish 

associated with a sponge near Kodiak Island, Alaska. Credit: NOAA Fisheries. Center: Fan-shaped coral 

with crabs and a rockfish in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of southern 

California. Credit: NOAA, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration. Right: Two of a school of more than 

20 Randall’s snappers gather under an overhang covered in coral and sponges near Jarvis Island. Credit: 

NOAA Ocean Exploration. 

BACK COVER—The beautiful and characteristic spiral shape of the appropriately named coral, Iridogorgia 

magnispiralis, near Wake Island in the U.S. Pacific Islands. Credit: NOAA Ocean Exploration.
Deep Sea Coral Research 

and Technology Program

2022 Report to Congress

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

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

Table of Contents

Overview.................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

Focus on the West Coast.................................................................................................................................................... 4

New Research in Alaska Waters .............................................................................................................................. 7

Outcomes from the Southeast U.S. Initiative ........................................................................................................... 8

Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Protections .................................................................................................................10

Discoveries in the U.S. Pacific Islands .......................................................................................................................11

Habitats Prioritized Nationally for Exploration and Characterization...............................................12

Website Relaunch................................................................................................................................................................13

Securing the Future of Deep-Sea Coral Habitats .................................................................................................14

Remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer hovers above several large boulders covered in bamboo corals 

during a dive on a seamount within the New England Seamount Chain. Four seamounts in the chain lie within 

the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument, where deep-sea coral habitat protections were 

reinstated in 2021. Credit: NOAA Ocean Exploration.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

2022 Report to Congress

1
Overview

Deep-sea corals and sponges create habitat for 

countless species off every coastal state in the country, 

offering significant ecological value and supporting 

U.S.-managed fisheries. Known deep-sea coral species 

outnumber shallow coral species, with new ones 

discovered every year. These productive habitats 

provide spawning grounds, sustenance, and shelter for 

commercially important fish and invertebrates. They 

also harbor 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 is the nation’s only federal research entity 

dedicated to increasing our scientific understanding 

of deep-sea coral ecosystems. The Program works 

closely with the eight U.S. regional fishery management 

councils to address key fishery management needs 

and inform decision-making. The Program provides 

information on deep-sea coral locations to mitigate 

damage to these valuable and vulnerable habitats from 

a variety of ocean activities, including aquaculture, 

renewable energy, and prospective activities such as 

deep-sea mining.

This report summarizes fiscal year 2020 and 2021 

activities that supported management decisions, 

improved our understanding of deep-sea coral and 

sponge communities, and leveraged 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 and leverages substantial 

funding to study the role of corals in support of deepsea ecosystems.

“The data and map products 

from the NOAA Deep Sea Coral 

Research and Technology Program 

proved extremely useful during our 

Amendment 28 groundfish essential 

fish habitat revision process. We’re 

leaning on the Program again as we 

analyze major potential changes to 

the groundfish non-trawl fishery.”

— Marc Gorelnik, Pacific Fishery 

Management Council Chair

Scientists observed this unusual purple soft coral during an expedition in U.S. Northeast waters. During the dive, the expedition team also 

saw at least five species of black corals, a bamboo coral, and two other species of soft coral. Credit: NOAA Ocean Exploration.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program

2
Timeline of Regional Initiatives

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

4 combined 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 2020 and 2021 (highlighted in gray).

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

South Atlantic

West Coast

Alaska

Northeast

U.S. Pacific Islands

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

Supporting Management Decisions

Over its 13 years of operations, the Program has 

supported research that enables resource managers 

to refine seafloor protections while allowing fisheries 

to thrive. Program data informed recent habitat 

conservation in the Pacific, New England, and Gulf of 

Mexico fishery management council regions. NOAA 

implemented the Councils’ proposed regulations in 

2020 and 2021, resulting in more than 160,000 mi2

(larger than the size of California) of new seafloor 

protections and the reopening of 3,000 mi2

 of 

less vulnerable habitat for fishing. Program data 

substantially informed these decisions and operational 

aspects of seven proposed or existing national 

marine sanctuaries. Ultimately, the Program provides 

information that helps managers in every region of 

the United States enhance the sustainability of deepsea fisheries and other ocean uses, while conserving 

vulnerable and biologically diverse habitats.

Improving Understanding of Deep-Sea 

Coral Communities

The Program supports exploration and research 

to improve scientific understanding of deep-sea 

coral ecosystems. Although 2020 and 2021 were 

challenging years for fieldwork due to the COVID-19 

pandemic, NOAA and partners were still able to 

map more than 50,000 mi2

 (approximately the size 

of Louisiana) of previously poorly understood deep 

seafloor. This valuable first step informs discovery 

of rich and diverse coral habitats. With maps and 

models as a guide, researchers described 12 new 

deep-sea coral and sponge species from U.S. waters 

during the reporting timeframe. 

Building Partnerships to Enhance 

Efficiency and Effectiveness

With new challenges on the horizon—such as from 

climate change, including ocean acidification and 

warming temperatures, and expanding human 

activities in the deep sea—partnerships are more 

valuable than ever before. These alliances enable us 

to pursue joint priorities efficiently and effectively 

by leveraging complementary areas of expertise and 

resources. Working together makes the difference 

between simply locating unknown deep-sea corals and 

understanding and applying their ecosystem benefits 

to resource management issues. With this information, 

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.

The Program has many partners, including NOAA’s 

National Centers for Environmental Information, 

National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Office 

of Ocean Exploration, Office of National Marine 

Sanctuaries, fisheries science centers, and fisheries 

regional offices. Our external partners include U.S. 

regional fishery management councils, the Bureau 

of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), United States 

Geological Survey (USGS), Fisheries and Oceans 

Canada, Ocean Exploration Trust, and numerous 

universities, tribes, industry groups, and nongovernmental organizations.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

2022 Report to Congress

3
Focus on the West Coast

In 2021, the Program concluded a collaborative 

4-year research initiative in U.S. West Coast waters. 

This initiative was co-led by the Northwest Fisheries 

Science Center and Channel Islands National Marine 

Sanctuary. Collaborators prioritized initiative 

research, and decided to focus on 1) areas that were 

under consideration for reopening to fishing or for 

new fishing restrictions, 2) areas with relatively high 

coral bycatch, and 3) areas within the five West Coast 

national marine sanctuaries.

Initiative accomplishments include the following:

• NOAA promulgated regulations to implement 

the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s 

recommendation to reopen more than 3,000 mi2

of historically important fishing grounds, and 

protect more than 10,000 mi2

 of important seafloor 

habitat for hundreds of commercial species. As a 

precautionary measure, an additional 123,000 mi2

of unfished deep habitats were closed to seafloorcontact gear to protect deep-sea corals (an area 

larger than New Mexico). These landmark 2020 

actions, informed by Program data and fishing 

and conservation group input, present a unique 

opportunity to study deep-sea coral damage, 

recovery potential, and habitat management 

implications.

• Prior to implementation of the 2020 regulations, 

NOAA Fisheries Science Center and Sanctuary 

researchers surveyed 21 sites to be reopened or 

kept closed. Observed rockfish densities were 

five times greater, corals were 15 times denser, 

and sponges were 30 times denser in closed areas 

than in reopened areas. These findings strongly 

supported management decisions.

• Initiative researchers conducted eight major 

collaborative expeditions with more than 100 

remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives, and 

participated in an additional eight expeditions led 

by the Ocean Exploration Trust. NOAA scientists 

narrated many livestreamed ROV dives and 

identified the visible fauna to audiences around the 

world. 

• One initiative expedition, co-supported by the 

National Oceanographic Partnership Program, 

captured video of at least 143 unique fish, coral, 

and sponge species.

The brown underlying structure in this image is composed of 

mostly dead framework sponges. If confirmed as a globally rare 

glass sponge reef, this discovery would be the first of its kind 

off the U.S. West Coast. Credit: Ocean Exploration Trust.

A rockfish shelters amid several large deep-sea sponges found 

growing along the steep canyon walls of Gray’s Canyon, an 

Essential Fish Habitat Conservation Area just south of the Olympic 

Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Sponges, like corals, provide 

structurally complex habitat for many types of rockfish and other 

commercially important species. Credit: Ocean Exploration Trust.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program

4
Partnerships Lead to New Discovery 

NOAA’s partnership with the Ocean Exploration 

Trust, and our analysis of their 2020–2021 ROV 

surveys, allowed the Program to share in exciting 

discoveries despite many COVID-19-related expedition 

cancellations. For example, researchers found a 

potential glass sponge reef in the Channel Islands 

National Marine Sanctuary “hidden” between some 

of the most surveyed areas in southern California. 

More research is needed to determine whether these 

features are true glass sponge reefs, which have so far 

only been observed in British Columbia and southeast 

Alaska waters. The most ancient extant multicellular 

animals, sponges provide important services like 

habitat, shelter, nutrient cycling, and pharmaceutical 

materials. Sponge reefs can be many thousands of 

years old and have the potential to teach us about past 

oceanographic conditions.

The EXPRESS Campaign

The Program also partnered with other NOAA 

offices and federal agencies through the Expanding 

Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged 

Systems (EXPRESS) campaign. EXPRESS continues to 

accomplish shared goals such as surveying potential 

sites to inform offshore wind energy development, and 

collecting data to validate habitat suitability models. 

Using Program data, NOAA and BOEM collaborated to 

develop the most detailed habitat suitability models to 

date for West Coast deep-sea corals and sponges.

Emerging Technologies 

In addition, researchers are developing and refining 

new techniques to improve identification of coral 

and sponge taxa. During the initiative, expedition 

teams collected hundreds of water samples, 

coincident with ROV visual surveys, to analyze the 

presence of environmental DNA (eDNA). Most coral 

species detections made by eDNA confirmed visual 

identifications, but some eDNA detections indicated 

the presence of species that had been hidden from 

view. We will soon learn much more from the samples 

remaining to be sequenced.

Initiative scientists also worked across NOAA offices 

to develop the first open-source automated image 

recognition software for the marine environment that 

uses advanced computer vision and machine learning 

technology. Researchers received a Department of 

Commerce Gold Medal for substantially reducing costs 

and the degree to which image analysis presents a 

bottleneck to obtaining valuable information on deepsea habitats.

Large bubblegum corals and 

California king crabs on Santa 

Lucia Bank, part of the proposed 

Chumash Heritage National 

Marine Sanctuary. Deep-sea 

coral and sponge data collected 

with Program support informed 

proposed sanctuary boundaries. 

Credit: Ocean Exploration Trust.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

2022 Report to Congress

5
Highlights from the West Coast Deep-Sea Coral Initiative

Highlights from Program-sponsored and partner-led research activities during the West Coast Deep-Sea Coral Initiative, targeted 

in areas that were under consideration for reopening to, or restrictions from, seafloor-contact fishing (green shading), areas within 

national marine sanctuaries (orange shading), areas with relatively high coral bycatch (black circles), and areas under consideration 

for wind energy siting (pink shading). Blue dots indicate remotely operated vehicle and autonomous underwater vehicle surveys 

operated by NOAA or Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems (EXPRESS) partners where deep-sea 

coral research was at least one expedition goal.

Visual surveys

Fishing regulation changes in 2020

National Marine Sanctuaries

Relatively high coral bycatch

Wind energy consideration areas

U.S. waters

Partners at the Quinault Indian Nation worked 

with NOAA to identify survey sites within and 

adjacent to the Olympic Coast National Marine 

Sanctuary that are also important to tribal 

fishermen and fishery managers.

The first NOAA West Coast 

livestreamed expedition was in 

an area newly protected in 2020.

Range extensions for two coral 

species previously only known in 

Washington waters.

Researchers detected rare coral 

species and described associated 

groundfish biodiversity from 

environmental DNA samples.

Surveys in a potential wind energy 

site revealed a previously unknown 

coral garden and fish spawning area.

Range extension for a sponge 

species previously only known further 

south.

Program researchers were the 

first scientists to lead an Ocean 

Exploration Trust expedition from 

shore when COVID-19 limited 

ship capacity.

The greatest sponge densities 

observed during initiative surveys 

occurred in a protected area 

expanded in 2020.

21 surveys before regulation 

changes in 2020 found 15-fold 

greater coral densities in areas 

to be closed than in areas to be 

opened to fishing.

Researchers discovered a new 

coral species in Cordell Bank 

National Marine Sanctuary.

Surveys in the proposed 

Chumash Heritage National 

Marine Sanctuary informed 

designation.

Students from three universities 

participated in an experience-building 

Mappers-in-Training program.

Discovery of what may be an 

exceedingly rare glass sponge reef in 

the Channel Islands National Marine 

Sanctuary.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program

6
New Research in Alaska Waters

Some of the world’s most diverse and abundant coral 

and sponge communities are found in cold Alaska 

waters between 20 and 3,000 feet deep. These 

communities provide crucial habitat and refuge 

for many commercially important fish. In 2020, the 

Program launched a collaborative multi-year research 

initiative led by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. 

Sixty scientists and resource managers came together 

to prioritize research and inform a science plan. 

Planned studies include identifying coral and sponge 

species; mapping habitat; modeling coral populations, 

habitat suitability, and risk; and investigating coral 

and sponge susceptibility to and recovery from fishing 

activities. Although most field activities planned for 

2020 and 2021 were postponed due to COVID-19, the 

Alaska Deep-Sea Coral Initiative has already begun 

addressing the following priorities of the North Pacific 

Fishery Management Council: 

• Researchers assessed the condition of 

commercially important fish that are known to 

associate with deep-sea corals by examining fish 

fat content associated with reproductive success. 

These samples help establish a practical way to 

measure fish productivity in different habitats 

across Alaska, and to evaluate the importance 

of coral and sponge habitats to commercially 

managed fish species.

• Researchers published findings associating 

rockfish larvae and coral habitat using an 

innovative field sampling approach. Relatively 

little is known about rockfish larvae. Therefore, 

this first-ever documented discovery of larvae 

using coral as a nursery in Alaska underscores the 

importance of deep-sea habitat.

• Working with Canadian colleagues, researchers 

developed a field guide to corals of Alaska and 

British Columbia to aid species identification 

throughout Alaska waters. The guide will be 

available to scientists on all Science Center seafloor 

trawl surveys and other expeditions. 

• Approximately 350 species of corals and sponges 

have been identified in the region so far, with 

hundreds of sponges waiting to be described. The 

Science Center has brought together traditional 

taxonomic expertise and newer genetic approaches

to develop sponge identification materials and 

novel molecular tools. Providing such information 

is essential for sustainable management in the face 

of climate change.

Improved knowledge on these fronts can inform the 

Council’s decisions to support healthy habitat and 

stocks.

A high-density coral and sponge 

garden in the Aleutian Islands. The 

Alaska Fisheries Science Center 

story map on these ecosystems 

compares habitats across Alaska 

waters and describes researchers’ 

methods of learning about deep-sea 

corals and sponges. Credit: NOAA 

Fisheries.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

2022 Report to Congress

7
“These survey and modeling efforts 

will support more deliberate and 

strategic management actions. 

Knowing what areas truly need 

protection and what areas can recover 

from various types of disturbance 

provides a critical basis for living 

resource management decisions.” 

— Robert Foy, Alaska Fisheries 

Science Center Director

After conducting system calibrations, NOAA researchers deployed a stereo drop camera system to observe deep-sea ecosystems in the 

Gulf of Alaska. The stereo-image capability enables accurate measurements of the size of both deep-sea corals and sponges and the size 

of fish observed within these habitats. Credit: Sean Rooney/NOAA.

Outcomes from the Southeast U.S. Initiative

In 2020 and 2021, resource managers used results 

from the Program’s 2016–2019 Southeast Deep 

Coral Initiative to inform management decisions. 

NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science 

led the recent initiative, with outcomes including the 

following: 

• Twenty-one new Habitat Areas of Particular 

Concern were established in the Gulf of Mexico 

in 2020. For 13 of these areas, NOAA promulgated 

regulations to protect deep-sea corals from 

damaging fishing gear. Program-sponsored data 

collection and analysis informed decisions on 

where to establish protected area boundaries, 

which include the first coral habitats deeper than 

650 feet to be protected in the Gulf.

• Resource managers used Program data in 2021 

to exclude known and predicted deep-sea coral 

locations, where possible, from a planned fiber 

optic cable path stretching from Florida to Spain.

• Using Program data, researchers assessed and 

identified likely impacts to deep-sea corals 

and sponges from the South Atlantic Fishery 

Management Council’s 2021 decision to reopen 

rock shrimp fishing in a section of the Oculina 

Bank Habitat Area of Particular Concern.

• Also in 2021, the Flower Garden Banks National 

Marine Sanctuary was expanded to protect 14 

new reefs and banks. Additionally, boundaries 

of its original three banks were adjusted to 

encompass more than another 100 mi2

 of 

protections.

• NOAA Ocean Exploration led a set of expeditions, 

culminating in 2021, off the U.S. Southeast coast. 

The expeditions revealed the most expansive 

areas of deep-sea coral reefs yet discovered

in U.S. waters. These and other discoveries are 

available to inform upcoming management 

decisions by the South Atlantic Fishery 

Management Council.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program

8
• The NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center 

is working with Puerto Rican fishermen

to study the relationship between 

commercially important queen snapper 

and coral habitat, addressing the highest 

deep-sea priority for the Caribbean Fishery 

Management Council.

• Researchers documented more than 40,000 

coral and sponge observations between 

2020 and 2021.

• Researchers produced two identification 

guides for deep-sea corals and sponges. The 

guides show many animals alive in their 

habitat for the first time in U.S. waters of 

the Southeast, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean 

regions.

Reefs of deep-sea stony coral, like these off the east coast of Florida, take millennia to grow and can reach hundreds of feet in height. This 

region of coral reefs extends more than 200 miles with a width of 35 miles in some areas. New coral mounds are discovered each year and 

collectively create a globally unique ecosystem in Southeast U.S. waters. Credit: NOAA Ocean Exploration.

A close look at a large carnivorous sponge (nicknamed the “ping-pong” sponge) south of the Florida Keys. While most sponges 

are filter feeders, scientists discovered the first carnivorous sponge less than 30 years ago. Deep-sea research has now 

discovered over 150 species of carnivorous sponges, adapted to survive in harsh environments with little food available. Credit: 

NOAA Ocean Exploration.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

2022 Report to Congress

9
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Protections

Based on Program-collected information, the New 

England Fishery Management Council recommended, 

and NOAA implemented through regulations, the 

Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area. This 

Area, which protects the entire Northeast region 

deeper than ~2,000 feet from most seafloor-contact 

gear and covers more than 25,000 mi2

 (about the size 

of Connecticut), includes an estimated 75 percent of 

known and predicted coral locations in and around 

deep-sea canyons. It also protects 40 mi2

 containing 

particularly rich coral habitats in the Gulf of Maine. 

The NOAA regulations that established this Area 

complement existing NOAA regulations that provide 

deep-sea coral protections in the Mid-Atlantic 

region and the protective measures under the 

2021 reinstatement of the Northeast Canyons and 

Seamounts Marine National Monument.

In 2020, researchers published the first results of 

Northeast U.S. habitat suitability modeling from a 

Program-funded study to estimate the extent of coral 

habitat in unexplored areas. These powerful sciencebased results support conservation efforts, provide 

information for effective management of offshore 

activities, and inform future exploration and research. 

The Program has also recently supported analysis of 

data collected to validate model results. This work was 

done in preparation for the next Northeast Deep-Sea 

Coral Initiative, beginning in 2023. 

A red crab on a deep-sea bubblegum coral in Norfolk Canyon, 

located on the outer continental shelf of the U.S. East Coast, east 

of the southernmost portion of Virginia. The geology of this portion 

of the canyon is characterized by soft sedimented seafloor with 

thin layered hard rock outcrops. The outcrops are often heavily 

colonized with living organisms, particularly underneath ledges. 

Credit: NOAA Ocean Exploration.

Acadian redfish swimming 

among deep-sea corals on 

Outer Schoodic Ridge in the 

Gulf of Maine. Results from a 

recent joint expedition between 

the United States and Canada 

indicate that these commercially 

important fish are usually 

found in close association with 

corals. Credit: NOAA Fisheries, 

Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program

10
Discoveries in the U.S. Pacific Islands

Deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems are 

found throughout the U.S. Pacific Islands, 

where they are associated with many 

commercial and protected species, including 

Hawaiian monk seals. In 2021, the Program 

released its Pacific Islands Deep-Sea Coral 

and Sponge Initiative Final Report, which 

details findings from projects conducted 

in the region from 2015 to 2017. Project 

results include discoveries from 187 remotely 

operated vehicle surveys between 800 and 

20,000 feet deep. These livestreamed surveys 

actively engaged more than 250 scientists 

and had 16 million public views. Also during 

the initiative, expedition teams mapped a 

previously unexplored area twice the size 

of New Jersey. These advances and discoveries 

are helping identify vulnerable marine habitats, 

particularly high-density deep-sea coral and 

sponge communities.

While exploring Ridge Seamount in the U.S. Pacific Islands, an expedition 

team’s remotely operated vehicle encountered an alien-like community 

composed almost exclusively of glass sponges with their concave sides 

directed toward the current. Credit: NOAA Ocean Exploration.

An unusual umbrella-shaped pillar feature near Jarvis Island was densely covered in corals and sponges, with a large school of 

Randall’s snappers nearby. The pillar housed shrimp, crabs, brittle stars, and fish. Credit: NOAA Ocean Exploration.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

2022 Report to Congress

11
Habitats Prioritized Nationally for Exploration 

and Characterization

As part of the National Strategy for Ocean Mapping, 

Exploration, and Characterization, the Program co-led 

a group of deep-sea ecology experts in prioritizing 

five areas of U.S. waters. Some priority areas are 

considered in urgent need of exploratory initial 

assessments, while others require comprehensive 

characterization in support of specific research, 

resource management, and policymaking objectives. 

Since deep-sea corals and sponges create complex 

structural habitats that can significantly boost 

seafloor and water column biodiversity, each priority 

area contains important known and predicted 

locations of these organisms. 

Representatives from 12 federal agencies chose the following areas as priorities for exploration and characterization of the deep seafloor: 

1) Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, 2) the South Atlantic region’s Blake Plateau, 3) U.S. Caribbean deep reefs, 4) the West Coast’s Cascadia 

Margin and Gorda Ridge, and 5) the Northeast region’s canyons and seamounts. While many factors were considered in their selection, 

each area contains sensitive ecosystems in which deep-sea corals act as foundation species, enhancing biodiversity and productivity.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program

12
LEFT: Bubblegum coral next to snail egg case columns in Pioneer Canyon, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. In 2020, researchers 

sampled corals and the surrounding water in this area for taxonomic information, coral ageing studies, ocean acidification state, and 

the presence of microplastics. Credit: Ocean Exploration Trust. RIGHT: The manipulator arm of a remotely operated vehicle collecting 

the skeleton of a dead bamboo coral in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The canyons of Monterey Bay are some of the most 

extensively surveyed deep-sea coral and sponge habitats in U.S. waters. Credit: NOAA, Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration.

Website Relaunch

NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program has just relaunched its website, with 

significant updates and ease-of-use improvements. New pages now summarize highlights from major 

research initiatives, greatly improving the availability of deep-sea coral ecosystem knowledge. Users can 

also explore a streamlined publication database with expanded search capabilities that houses results 

from Program-supported work. The website also features a recent news section that links to deep-sea 

coral and sponge–related articles from NOAA Fisheries.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

2022 Report to Congress

13
Securing the Future of Deep-Sea Coral Habitats

For more than a decade, this Program has made 

significant progress in locating and understanding 

deep-sea corals and sponges, and their importance as 

habitat for fisheries species. 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.

A variety of coral and sponge species captured during the Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s seafloor trawl survey in the 

eastern Aleutian Islands. The survey targets commercially important fisheries species to assess their stocks, but also 

collects deep-sea coral and sponge bycatch. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.

Researchers found this mushroom coral living on dead coral 

rubble off the east coast of Florida in 2021. Credit: NOAA Ocean 

Exploration.

The Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program 

relies on collaborations to make the activities and 

resulting information described in this report possible. 

In 2020 and 2021, the Program leveraged hundreds 

of thousands of dollars from other NOAA offices to 

support deep-sea coral and sponge exploration and 

research. The EXPRESS partnership on the West Coast 

also relies upon substantial contributions from BOEM, 

USGS, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research 

Institute.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program

14
Budget Component Region 2020 Funding 2021 Funding

West Coast fieldwork initiative Pacific $1,000,000 $200,000

Alaska fieldwork initiative North Pacific $200,000 $1,000,000

Southeast fieldwork initiative South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, 

Caribbean $100,000 -

National database management 

and data analysis software 

development

National $281,000 $371,000

Genetic identification and data 

analysis

North Pacific, Pacific, Western 

Pacific, New England, Mid-Atlantic $268,200 $193,007

Regional targeted research 

projects

North Pacific, Western Pacific, 

Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean $117,500 $154,855

Program coordination National $353,238 $357,260

Total $2,319,938 $2,276,122

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 deepsea coral areas, including summaries of the results of mapping, research, and data collection performed under the 

program.

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | National Marine Fisheries Service

2022 Report to Congress

15
U.S. Department of Commerce

Gina M. Raimondo

Secretary of Commerce

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

Richard W. Spinrad, Ph.D.

Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and 

Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator

National Marine Fisheries Service

Janet Coit

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries

January 2023

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitatconservation/deep-sea-coral-habitat

https://deepseacoraldata.noaa.gov/

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

www.fisheries.noaa.gov