[Tom Bright] Eureka. Oh yeah, there was a sense of
accomplishment when the Flower Gardens
was finally designated as a national
marine sanctuary. Yeah.
Eureka. It's done. Well, it wasn't ever
done. It's not done yet.
[Jesse Cancelmo] My hope is that these reefs, the Flower
Garden Banks as we have today,
East, West, and Stetson, as well as the expanded
areas, will maintain their health
for generations to come.
[Buddy Guindon] I think in any situation where you have one of the only ones, you should take care of it.
[Jake Emmert] So maybe it's the fact that it's so remote,
but it's so beautiful, and the community that it has out there,
so perhaps that's part of the value at
least for me is I want to protect it
just like I would want to protect my own
backyard back home.
[Narrator] NOAA's Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
protects some of the healthiest coral reefs in the world.
The sanctuary is proposing to
expand its boundaries
to protect 14 more reefs and banks
off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana.
This proposal builds on more than 30 years of research and reports calling for
protection of these nationally significant areas.
The expansion would add 104 square miles of critically important habitats to the sanctuary.
They include deep coral communities, unique geological features, expansive zones of algal nodules,
and countless species, including some of the
icons of recreational and commercial fishing.
Together, these habitats serve as
reservoirs of abundance and diversity,
and engines of sustainability for the
Gulf of Mexico.
In the 1970s and 80s, scientists and community members called for protection of the three banks that
currently make up Flower Garden Banks
National Marine Sanctuary.
Today, local communities have called for further
protection of the economic and
ecological resources that will ensure a
productive and resilient Gulf of Mexico
for years to come.
[Tom Bright] The coral cover at the Flower Gardens is
greater now than it was when we were
studying them back in the 70s and 80s.
So these reefs are special because they remain healthy.
That's a good sign. That
means these reefs are hanging in there,
and we need the reefs that will hang in
there because a lot of reefs worldwide are not.
The habitats that are supported largely
by both corals and algal reef builders
are indeed resources that we need to
protect for the benefit of all the stakeholders.
These terraces covered
by algal nodules, which cover many of the
banks to be included in the expansion,
are possibly of higher diversity in
terms of the numbers of species than the
coral reef itself.
[G.P. Schmahl] The proposed sanctuary expansion is the culmination of years of work by a variety of people,
and is supported strongly by the public
and by a number of our partners that
we've worked with over the years.
Expansion of the sanctuary will add to
the ability to protect important areas,
to provide for the resilience of communities,
and to sustain important
economies in the Gulf of Mexico that are
dependent on the health of
these natural resources.
[Buddy Guindon] I've been told it's one of the most pristine environments in the world.
When these scientists tell me that, I believe them.
[Ruth Perry] The reason why it's so
critical that we get this expansion and
we increase these banks is because the
science has shown that these banks are
unique and they're a critical part of
the ecosystem.
[Jesse Cancelmo] There is evidence that shows
that protecting these additional
areas deserve merit.
[Scott Hickman] These resources belong to all Americans.
Not just the people that live on
the Texas coast or the Florida coast.
The sanctuaries belong to all Americans,
and they need to go see these places. They're quite amazing.
[Clint Moore] I believe in the mission and believe in
protecting the resources for generations to come
and what I'm hoping is this boundary
expansion is going to cause millions of
other people, both children and adults, to
learn about these wonders and treasures
of the offshore Gulf of Mexico that have
been there, but are just big secrets.
And they're our secrets, but they're not
going to be anymore because we're gonna
bring it to the public.
[G.P. Schmahl] The more we
found out about these areas the more we
realize that these were not just
important marine habitats, but some of
these areas are as diverse and as
productive as any marine communities in the world.
[Narrator] This is your Gulf of Mexico.
Tell us what you think about the
proposed changes to Flower Garden Banks
National Marine Sanctuary.
