Scientists aboard the NOAA Research Vessel Nancy Foster will be gathering baseline data on fish populations and seafloor communities of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS), in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. This NOAA expedition, called Coral Connections in the Gulf is focused on the fish and seafloor communities in the deeper portions of the coral cap, at depths ranging from 110 to 150 feet; several data collection methods will be used, including scuba diving, sonar sensors, remotely operated vehicles and drop-cameras.

To read the expedition blog, meet the scientists, ask questions, view expedition partners, or to get detailed information on the expedition, visit Coral Connections of the Gulf.

Expedition research will focus on areas from 110 to 150 feet deep at the East and West Flower Garden Banks

Marbled grouper are common on the reef slopes of East and West Flower Garden Banks.

Diverse reef habitat of coral, sponge, macroalgae and fish found at the Flower Garden Banks.