OUR REEFS
OCULINA BANK
A deep-water coral ecosystem off Florida's east coast, where historic sampling recorded 230 mollusc species and where spawning gag and scamp grouper have been observed.
NOAA habitat background (opens in a new tab)Historic research (opens in a new tab)
Artwork is an illustration.
WHAT IS OCULINA CORAL?
Oculina is a branching, deep-water coral.
NOAA: Oculina habitat (opens in a new tab)Oculina reefs off Florida's east coast grow at depths of about 70 to 100 meters.
WHY IT MATTERS
Spawning aggregations of gag and scamp grouper have been observed associated with Oculina colonies.
In historic sampling, more than 20,000 individual invertebrates were found living among the branches of 42 small Oculina colonies.
A historic, sample-specific study result, not a count of the reef today.
Historic study
The same historic sampling recorded 230 species of molluscs.
Mollusc species in sampled colonies, not fish species and not a current census.
Historic study
HOW IT HAS BEEN PROTECTED
The Oculina Bank was first protected by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council in 1984.
Bottom gear such as trawls, longlines, fish traps and dredges was prohibited in the area because of the damage these gear types were having on the fragile coral.
WHY RECOVERY IS SLOW
Oculina coral grows extremely slowly, about 1 to 2 centimeters per year.