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29-517: The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary ( FGBNMS ) is a United States National Marine Sanctuary located 100 nautical miles (120 mi; 190 km) off of Galveston , Texas , in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico . It contains the northernmost coral reefs in the United States. Underlying salt domes forced the seafloor upward in various areas of the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in

58-417: A United States National Marine Sanctuary . The Houston Underwater Club led a movement to have the banks officially designated as sanctuaries by submitting a formal letter of nomination in 1979. President George H. W. Bush authorized Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary as the 10th National Marine Sanctuary on January 17, 1992. The sanctuary was enlarged to include Stetson Bank in 1996. In June 2008,

87-472: A complex, balanced ecosystem of shallow and deep-water species. Flower Garden Banks and areas near the sanctuary are one of only two places in the world where the golden phase of the smooth trunkfish can be found, the other being near the Bay Islands north of Honduras . The golden smooth trunkfish is not a distinct species but a different color variation of the smooth trunkfish that inhabits throughout

116-535: A division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), administers the 17 national marine sanctuaries. The program began after the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill off the coast of California brought the plight of marine ecosystems to national attention. The United States Congress responded in 1972 with the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act which allowed for

145-575: A maximum range of 650 nautical miles. The NOAA ordered a new small research vessel in 2004, with Teknicraft of New Zealand designing the ship. In May 2007, All American Marine began construction of the ship in Washington state, and launched the vessel on 15 January 2008. Following sea trials, the ship was christened Manta in Galveston, Texas , on 27 June 2008. Beginning in June 2008, Manta

174-535: A proposed management plan, then publishes a notice of its plans in the Federal Register . NOAA sponors regional meetings and public hearings to gather comments. The U.S. Congress receives the draft statements and may conduct its own hearings. NOAA prepares a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) that addresses the concerns raised in the DEIS process and distributes it for comment. Finally, upon approval of

203-488: A width of 9 m (30 ft), a draft of 1.5 m (4.9 ft), and displaces 78.5 tons. The ship is designed to have the space and equipment for up to twenty divers, including a recompression chamber and three dive showers. On board is a single Polaris RHIB and two lifeboats. The ship has a crew of 14 and can accommodate up to 25 passengers. Manta is propelled by two Caterpillar diesel engines which each provide 1,600 horsepower for an average speed of 10.8 knots and

232-552: Is a federally designated area within United States waters that protects areas of the marine environment with special conservation, recreational , ecological , historical, cultural, archeological , scientific, educational, or aesthetic qualities. The program was established in 1972 by the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act and is currently administered by the National Ocean Service through

261-583: Is also located in Galveston, and provides a working platform for researchers. A system of mooring buoys, which reduces resource impacts from anchoring, is maintained by FGBNMS staff. Since 2011, the Foundation funded annual scientific cruise ships to monitor the health of the coral in the sanctuary. Researchers record conditions and detect early warning signs consisting of different impacts of climate change and possible environmental crime. Scientists use

290-686: Is possible to restrict consumptive or destructive activities through the initial designation process and NMSP actions. There are restrictions in some sanctuaries that are enforced by other governing agencies. For example, current regulations restricting fishing in Stellwagen Bank were not issued by the NMSP, but rather by National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) and the New England Fishery Management Council, which have jurisdiction in federal waters off

319-533: The Gulf of Mexico . Diving and sightseeing are popular activities in and near this sanctuary. The three banks—East Flower Garden Bank, West Flower Garden Bank, and Stetson Bank—are underwater mountains. The banks support coral reefs, some of the healthiest in the Caribbean and Western Atlantic region. These reef communities began developing on the salt domes approximately 10,000–15,000 years ago. Today, they support

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348-658: The New England coast generally. The private nonprofit organization Marine Conservation Institute has compiled fact sheets for each sanctuary listing activities which are directly regulated by the NMSP. Site selection is done under the auspices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Regional teams of marine scientists identify geographically representative sites for potential marine sanctuaries. NOAA then selects candidate sites and meets with state or territorial resource managers and/or

377-682: The President of the United States , the United States Secretary of Commerce , who oversees NOAA, designates the area as a National Marine Sanctuary. The U.S. Congress and the governor of the state or territory then may formally object to or appeal the designation. NOTES: The National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa originally was named the Fagatelle Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary originally

406-765: The National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA). While National Marine Sanctuaries are multiple-use areas, the NMSA emphasizes that one of the express purposes of a sanctuary is to “maintain the natural biological communities” and to “protect and, where appropriate, restore and enhance natural habitats, populations, and ecological processes.” The National Marine Sanctuary System consists of 17 marine protected areas that encompass about 785,000 square miles (2,030,000 km ). Individual areas range from less than 1 to 583,000 square miles (3 to 1,509,963 km ). The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS),

435-723: The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in conjunction with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the State of Hawaii , and it jointly administers the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Designation as a National Marine Sanctuary does not automatically prohibit fishing and other activities. Recreational and commercial fishing is allowed in some sanctuaries. It

464-474: The area to understand use and inform protection planning and potential expansion. The ocean banks comprising FGBNMS were first mapped in 1936, when EFGB, WFGB, and Stetson Bank were included in a hydrographic survey of the Gulf of Mexico conducted by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey . These initial surveys, along with others conducted in the 1950s, led researchers to conclude that

493-510: The banks originated when salt domes forced overlaying sediments upward to form seamounts . Before the early 1960s it was debated whether coral reefs could develop off the Texas coast; some researchers predicted the area would be too cold, or too turbid to support any extensive reef development. A series of scientific scuba diving expeditions, however, revealed that EFGB and WFGB did indeed support extensive coral reef systems. The late 1960s saw

522-694: The boundaries of the sanctuary's original three banks and expands the sanctuary from 56 square miles (145 km) to a total of 160 square miles (415 km). The operative date of this action is March 22, 2021. The final rule applies existing sanctuary regulations to all the new areas, supplying protection from the destructive impact of activities relevant to fishing with bottom-tending gear, ship anchoring, oil and gas exploration and production, and salvage activities on sensitive biological resources. These areas include critical habitat for recreationally and commercially important fish, as well as threatened or endangered species of manta rays, sea turtles, and corals in

551-541: The conservation of manta rays through expansion of the habitat. The spotted eagle ray school in and around the sanctuary during the early part of the year. They have a pronounced head with a snout and distinct white spots and rings on their dark backs. They also have very long whip-like tails, longer than most other rays, with venomous spines used in defense when they are threatened. They can grow to have wingspans of nearly 16 feet (4.9 m). United States National Marine Sanctuary A U.S. National Marine Sanctuary

580-842: The creation of marine sanctuaries. The resources protected by U.S. national marine sanctuaries range from coral reef ecosystems in American Samoa , Florida , Hawaii , and Texas , to shipwrecks in the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean . The NMSP also is involved in the administration of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument , although they are not U.S. national marine sanctuaries. The NMSP jointly administers

609-576: The establishment of the Flower Gardens Ocean Research Center (FGORC), a scientific facility whose research inspired federal agencies to begin discussing protecting the banks from human activities, including oil and gas extraction, fishing, and anchoring on the reefs. With passage of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 , the Flower Garden Banks became a candidate for designation as

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638-570: The formation of seamounts and ocean banks . Conditions of the Gulf of Mexico were conducive to reef-building, which started roughly ten to fifteen thousand years ago. Two reefs, East Flower Garden Bank (EFGB) and West Flower Garden Bank (WFGB), made up Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) when it was initially created in 1992. In 1996, Stetson Bank was added to the sanctuary. The three banks are not contiguous. The sanctuary contains many aquatic species. Almost three hundred species of fish and over twenty species of coral are found in

667-481: The long-term data to establish baselines, understand changes and assess why reefs become unhealthy. This ongoing record was priceless in 2016 when the Sanctuary discovered a vast coral die-off in its East Bank. While the event has stabilized, the Foundation continues to dedicate additional funding to support further observation. The Foundation also funds economic impact studies on commercial and recreational activity in

696-475: The marine sanctuary was assigned RV Manta , a research vessel in service with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , to be its primary monitoring vessel and standby ship for emergency response. On January 19, 2021, NOAA issued the Final Instruction for expansion of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. This action protects 14 additional reefs and banks, slightly adjusts

725-486: The rest of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, including Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary . Scientists have not yet discovered the reason for the color differences in the Flower Garden Banks and Honduran populations. Every August, about a week after the full moon, a mass coral spawning event takes place in and near the sanctuary. For some days, multiple species of star coral and brain corals release gametes into

754-447: The sanctuary along with a wide variety of crustaceans , sponges , and plants. FGBNMS provides habitat for many protected and/or threatened species including marine mammals, sharks, rays, and sea turtles. Many fish species important to recreational and commercial fisheries inhabit the banks. The sanctuary's administrative offices and laboratories are located in a part of the former Fort Crockett in Galveston, Texas. Research Vessel MANTA

783-505: The state or territorial governor's staff to determine the local level of interest in establishing a sanctuary. If there is mutually satisfactory interest, the candidate sites are evaluated through a process of public and legislative review and validated by the United States Congress and state or territorial governments. NOAA initiates the designation by the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and

812-512: The water. This event allows for genetic mixing between different species of corals and increases diversification. Manta rays , the largest species of ray in the ocean with a wingspans upwards of 29 feet (8.8 m) and weighing as much as 3,600 pounds (1,600 kg), are a common sight in and near the sanctuary. Recent research confirmed that Flower Garden Banks serves as a critical nursery habitat for oceanic manta rays, offering young mantas protection from human activity. The sanctuary works toward

841-743: Was named the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. NOTE: These sanctuaries were subsumed by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary on November 16, 1990, but continued to operate until July 1, 1997, when they were integrated into the Florida Keys sanctuary and redesignated as Existing Management Areas. RV Manta (2008) Manta is a catamaran ship with twin aluminum hulls and an overall length of roughly 30 m (98 ft). It has

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