Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Flower Garden Banks National Marine Research and Monitoring Sanctuary (FGBNMS) encompasses Science activities at FGBNMS include 17 reefs and banks located general exploration and habitat approximately 80-125 miles off the characterization, investigations of coasts of Texas and Louisiana. These specific research questions, and long- banks are a combination of small term monitoring of resource health. All underwater mountains, ridges, of these play a vital role in helping to troughs, and hard-bottom patches. effectively allocate limited resources The habitats associated with these toward the most important banks range from thriving shallow management and protection issues. water coral reefs and algal-sponge Invasive assessment and communities, to deeper mesophotic removal, climate change and ocean Photo: G.P. Schmahl/NOAA reefs alive with black corals, algal acidification investigations, and The Flower Garden Banks were nodules, and octocorals. These varied maintenance of a mooring buoy named after the brightly colored habitats provide havens for tropical system are annual priorities as we sponges, plants and other marine reef and invertebrates, as well as expand our science and resource life on the colorful reefs. manta rays, sea turtles, and sharks. protection activities across more reef areas. When first designated in 1992, the Education and Outreach sanctuary consisted of only East and Education at FGBNMS comes in West Flower Garden Banks, home to many shapes and sizes, just like the some of the healthiest coral reefs in sanctuary’s unique habitats. From the world. In 1996, Stetson Bank also students and teachers, to recreational became part of the sanctuary, adding divers, to industry representatives and a different type of reef community community members, the sanctuary teeming with marine life. In 2021, the delivers a message of conservation, sanctuary was expanded to its present appreciation, and action to audiences size of 160 square miles to protect Photo: NOAA young and old. The sanctuary website Black corals, such as this important shallow and deep reef and social media serve as important pennacea, are found in habitats across an additional 14 tools to communicate our message to deep reef areas across the sanctuary. banks. Although each bank is marked all audiences, along with general with its own separate boundaries, presentations to groups and clubs, together these banks create a chain of educational presentations to students, protected habitats for ecologically and participation in community events, economically important species across and the annual Seaside Chat speaker the northern Gulf of Mexico. series.

Photo: NOAA Manta rays are frequent visitors to the sanctuary and the highlight of many dives at the Flower Garden Banks.

Photo: Greg McFall, NOAA Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary contains the northernmost coral reefs in the continental United States. https://flowergarden.noaa.gov Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary

Location 80-125 miles off the Texas and Louisiana coasts.

Protected Area 160 square miles

Designation January 1992 East & West Flower Garden Banks October 1996 Stetson Bank January 2021 28 Fathom, Alderdice, Bouma, Bright, Elvers, Geyer, Horseshoe, MacNeil, McGrail, Find Us Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Parker, Rankin, 4700 Avenue U, Building 216 Network of marine protected areas Rezak, Sidner, and Galveston, TX 77551 Encompasses more than 600,000 square miles Sonnier banks 409-621-5151 Established October 1972

Habitats On the Web On the Web Coral reefs Email: [email protected] sanctuaries.noaa.gov Algal-sponge www.facebook.com/FGBNMS www.facebook.com/ communities Twitter: @FGBNMS NOAAOfficeofNationalMarineSanctuaries Mesophotic reefs Instagram: @noaasanctuaries Algal nodule zones Twitter: @sanctuaries Sand flats Tumblr: @noaasanctuaries Brine seep Mud volcanoes Open ocean

Key Species Brain and star coral Octocoral Manta ray Sea turtle Hammerhead shark Photo: G.P. Schmahl/NOAA Photo: NOAA The sanctuary’s reef building corals The giant Caribbean sea anemone, put on one of the most abundant Condylactis gigantean, can be found spawning displays in the entire in deeper regions of the sanctuary. Caribbean. https://flowergarden.noaa.gov/