In the southeast U.S., deep-sea corals create oases of special
habitat along the coast and are extremely vulnerable to certain
kinds of fishing such as bottom trawling and dredging. Both
corals and fisheries are managed by the South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council. In 2004, the Council responded to the
convincing data provided by scientists and identified areas of
coral that would be closed to bottom trawling and any other
activity that disturbs the seafloor. The boundaries were updated
in spring of 2006 to reflect recent research. However, the
Council has yet to formalize these designations and the threat
to corals remains. Learn more about the Corals of the Southeast
U.S.