Author Type

Faculty

Document Type

Report

Abstract

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) and Department of Commerce through the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management Act have established eight deepwater Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and five deepwater Coral Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (CHAPCs) in addition to the Oculina Coral HAPC along the outer continental shelf off the southeastern U.S. This project proposed to document and characterize the benthic habitat, benthic sessile biota, and fish populations within some of these protected areas and within the jurisdiction of the SAFMC. In February 2009, the SAFMC implemented eight Type II MPAs between Cape Hatteras, NC and the Florida Keys to protect seven species of the deepwater snapper-grouper complex. The closures, however, will provide ecosystem-level benefits to the entire complex as well as protect the shelf-edge reef habitat they utilize. These consist of five species of grouper: snowy grouper (Hyporthodus niveatus), yellowedge grouper (H. flavolimbatus), warsaw grouper (H. nigritus), misty grouper (H. mystacinus) and speckled hind (Epinephelus. drummondhayi), and two species of tilefish: golden tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) and blueline tilefish (Caulolatilus microps). The deepwater shelf-edge MPAs are known to contain reef habitat exploited by these five species of grouper as well as deep mud banks used by the two tilefish species. These species are considered to be at risk due to currently low stock densities and to life history characteristics which subject them to substantial fishing mortality.

Publication Date

2015

Comments

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Technical Report Number 160.

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