U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service Gulf of Mexico OCS Region News Release

Final Report Available on Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 1998-2001.

The Minerals Management Service announces the availability of a final environmental study report, Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 1998-2001 (OCS Study MMS 2003-031). The Flower Garden Banks are the northernmost coral reefs located in the Gulf of Mexico, located about 120 miles southeast of Galveston, and are home to 20 species of hermatypic corals.

This report focuses on four major areas: 1) long-term changes in community composition; 2) long-term natural variation in reef growth; 3) ancillary research efforts and coordination of monitoring activities by other agencies and institutions; and 4) evaluating and synthesizing monitoring data and other research in order to assess the impact of change and provide recommendations to managers.

The study was conducted for MMS and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) by the Center for Coastal Studies, Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi. Using random transects, the team of researchers collected data, including water quality, light intensity, coral growth rates, bleaching, algal cover, accretionary and encrusting growth of coral, and water temperature. During the course of the study, no significant long-term upward or downward trends in growth rates were evident—growth was variable but stable. There were no significant impacts observed from oil and gas activities, either before or after Sanctuary designation. Additionally, visiting scientists produced an expanded catalog of flora and fauna.

This report is available from our Public Information Office 1-800-200-GULF and on the GOMR website.

MMS is the Federal agency in the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages the nation's oil, natural gas, and other mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf in Federal offshore waters. The agency also collects, accounts for, and disburses mineral revenues from Federal and American Indian leases. These revenues totaled over $6 billion in 2002 and nearly $127 billion since the agency was created in 1982. Annually, nearly $1 billion from those revenues go into the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the acquisition and development of state and Federal park and recreation lands.

MMS Main Website:  www.mms.gov
Gulf of Mexico Website:  www.gomr.mms.gov