SOUTH ATLANTIC MPAS AND DEEPWATER CORAL HAPCS: CHARACTERIZATION OF BENTHIC HABITAT, BENTHIC MACROBIOTA, AND FISH COMMUNITIES; NOAA SHIP NANCY FOSTER 2014 CRUISE. NOAA CIOERT REPORT.

Abstract

A 10 day research cruise was conducted by NOAA National Marine Fisheries, June 18 to 27, 2014, on the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster with the new Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) Mohawk ROV. Collaborators included the Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research, and Technology (CIOERT) at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University (HBOI-FAU), College of Charleston, and University of North Carolina at Wilmington (ROV operations). Recently, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) established eight deepwater Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) along the outer continental shelf off the southeastern U.S. This cruise was the final cruise of a 3-year grant to document and characterize the benthic habitats, benthic biota, and fish populations within and adjacent to the MPA protected areas within the jurisdiction of the SAFMC