For Immediate Release
April 19, 2023
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) continues to enhance coral management efforts through a grant provided by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. The grant aims to support conservation projects and scientific studies that benefit coral reef management by focusing on reducing primary threats to coral reefs and coral reef restoration.
To achieve the goals of the grant, the Council has committed to working with state and federal agencies and its academic partners to identify and synthesize data on the abundance and distribution of corals and associated species. The grant may enable the Council to identify opportunities to enhance Gulf fishery resources through the development of a Gulf coral vulnerability index. This index will be based on data about coral disease prevalence, invasive species occurrence, and climate change impacts.
The Council also plans to produce outreach materials to provide managers and the public with information to better inform coral and fishery management decisions.
More information on the Councils coral conservation work can be found at https://portal.gulfcouncil.org/