MCBI releases the first report on the distribution, threats, and management of US deep sea corals

June 8, 2006

SEATTLE - Deep sea corals provide shelter, feeding areas, and breeding grounds for many marine organisms, including several commercially important fish species, and have shown great promise in treating human diseases including cancer (lung, melanoma, colon, and breast). The ocean - especially the deep ocean - is the last frontier of exploration and exploitation on our planet and with demand for seafood and petroleum products exacting an ever-increasing toll on the deep sea, damage to deep sea corals is a growing worldwide conservation concern.

MCBI scientists Lance Morgan, Fan Tsao, and John Guinotte released the first report documenting where deep sea corals are found in US waters, the activities that threaten these unique, long-lived habitats, and the current management strategies being used to protect them.

The findings of this report reinforce the conclusions of the National Research Council in 2002, the Pew Oceans Commission in 2003, and the US Commission on Ocean Policy in 2004 - which found that bottom fishing, specifically bottom trawling, is the major and most immediate threat to deep sea coral communities.

"Deep sea ecosystems support bizarre and beautiful life forms, some of them hundreds or even thousands of years old. They are being clear-cut by bottom trawl fishing. Today's fisheries are squandering the riches of the deep sea and if they are not stopped we will lose them forever. No industry has the right to destroy the heritage of humanity", states Professor Callum Roberts of the University of York.

"Recovery times for damaged deep-sea coral communities are on the order of decades to centuries, if they recover at all", according to MCBI Conservation Scientist, Fan Tsao.

Marine Biogeographer, John Guinotte adds, "Dragging mobile fishing gear along the seafloor is the most obvious threat to deep sea corals, but the oceans are also becoming more acidic because humans are releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. More acidic oceans will likely result in corals building weaker skeletons (a process similar to osteoporosis in humans) and/or slower growth rates. Corals are facing a one-two punch from bottom trawling and climate change".

"The US is taking steps to protect deep sea corals, but to date protection of known coral locations has been very limited and enforcement has been almost non-existent. The Oculina Banks off Florida's east coast are a national treasure and are federally protected, but the corals of the Oculina Banks have been almost totally destroyed by rock-shrimp trawling. The Oculina Banks are a prime example of an area being protected in name only. Enforcement is essential to maintaining these systems", says MCBI Chief Scientist, Lance Morgan. "A national mandate is needed to protect deep sea coral communities".

Current US management strategies focus on fisheries rather than an ecosystem based management approach and consequently do not provide sufficient protection for deep sea coral habitats. Until the US government makes protecting ecosystems, rather than exploiting resources, the overarching goal of management, they will continue to fall short of protecting deep sea corals, sustaining healthy fisheries, and maintaining the oceans' productivity and biological diversity.

Ecosystem based management, comprehensive ocean zoning, a ban on bottom trawling in deep sea coral areas, and a national mandate to protect these ancient seafloor ecosystems are necessary to provide sufficient protection and sustainability for our oceans.

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Marine Conservation Biology Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the science of marine conservation biology and promoting cooperation essential to protecting and recovering the Earth's biological integrity. Founded in 1996, it is headquartered in Bellevue WA, and has offices in Glen Ellen CA and Washington DC.