June 12, 2026
 Mission Aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster
Earlier this month, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) staff boarded the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster to conduct the characterization of benthic and fish communities in the “No Activity Zones” (NAZ) in the northwestern Gulf. This expedition is a partnership between the sanctuary, the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) restoration project, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to provide monitoring programs to protect against threats and support the resilience of these habitats. The project stems from partnerships with the University of North Carolina at Wilmington Undersea Vehicles Program, Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, NOAA MDBC restoration portfolio, NOAA Experiential Research and Training Opportunities, and the University of South Carolina Beaufort to fulfill a multidisciplinary approach of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys, biological and geological water sampling, and acoustic mapping.
During this 10-day mission, Alderdice, Parker, Sonnier, Bright, MacNeil, 28 Fathom, and Rankin Banks were visited using ROV Mohawk. Tasks completed include 62 transects that were completed for a total of 620 minutes of video footage, 36 hours of ROV work, more than 2,000 images collected, 9 bongo net and CTD samples collected, and four sites mapped.
During this mission, the last dive at 28 Fathom Bank resulted in the most lionfish seen all trip—10 in one spot! All previous spottings were singles. Patches of invasive orange cup coral (Tubastraea sp.) were observed at Sonnier Bank. Invasive species are not just in the diveable depths of the sanctuary.
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