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As steward of our Federal offshore lands known as the Outer Continental Shelf, DOI is responsible for balancing the Nation's search for petroleum energy and marine minerals with the protection of the human, marine, and coastal environments. The Minerals Management Service's (MMS) environmental programs serve this important mission by providing the information necessary for informed decisions on energy and non-energy mineral planning and development activities for the Outer Continental Shelf.
MMS sponsored research at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. A scientific diver affixes quarry tile racks to the reef rock in preparation for introduction of coral larvae. The objective is to grow new corals on artificial substrates in hopes of restocking damaged reefs.
Programs and Recent Accomplishments Related to Coral Reefs:
Protection of Flower Garden Banks: Since the early 1970s, MMS has supported a comprehensive program of mapping and multidisciplinary study of the East and West Flower Garden Banks, located in a petroleumrich area in the Gulf of Mexico. The Flower Garden Banks are a pair of topographic features, topped by an array of reef-building corals and associated organisms. MMS is currently supporting a long-term monitoring effort, co-sponsored by the National Marine Sanctuary Program, to assess the health of the coral reefs and evaluate changes in the coral community. MMS will use this information to evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of current lease stipulations in protecting the important biological resources of the Flower Garden Banks. To date, scientific assessments show that the corals of the East and West Flower Garden Banks are healthy and growing. In 1996, MMS received the Federal Environmental Quality Award from the Council on Environmental Quality and the National Association of Environmental Professionals for environmental monitoring and research in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
Larval Dispersal Study: MMS is supporting a study of the longdistance dispersal of coral larvae originating from the Flower Garden Banks using satellite-tracked buoys. Information from this study will be used to establish the role of the Flower Garden Banks as a larval source for coral reefs of the Florida Keys and Mexico.
Effects of an Oil Spill on Coral Reefs: MMS sponsored a major study of the effects of spilled crude oil on coral reefs following the accidental rupture of a storage tank at a coastal refinery in Bahia Las Minas, Panama. This 5-year study examined habitats along more than 80 km of oiled shore, including intertidal reef flats, mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs. A general decline in the health of coral reefs at control sites was observed during this study, consistent with trends observed across the Caribbean.
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