July 24, 2026

Mooring Buoy Maintenance East and West Flower Garden Banks

Last week, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary divers performed some much-needed repairs and replacements to the fleet of mooring buoys in the sanctuary. Over four days, the team was able to successfully install three new u-bolt anchors, which were cemented into reef rock: two at East Flower Garden Bank and one at West Flower Garden Bank. While mooring buoys were not placed on these bolts at this time, they are ready for the next time the team is offshore.

Three new mooring buoys were also deployed during this trip. One mooring was deployed to East Flower Garden Bank, bringing the site's mooring buoy count to three, and two mooring buoys were deployed at West Flower Garden Bank, bringing the site's mooring buoy count to four. 

For the most up-to-date map of active mooring buoys within the sanctuary, visit our Map Tool at https://flowergarden.noaa.gov/#map.

In addition to mooring buoy work, the team was able to complete several science tasks, including swapping out acoustic receivers for tracking fish and redeploying "Bob," the Sofar spotter buoy, back at East Flower Garden Bank. Real-time data from "Bob" can be found through the Sofar dashboard and on the sanctuary's Offshore Conditions webpage.

Shark and Ray Awareness Weekend  Join us at Moody Gardens to learn about the sharks and rays of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary!  When: Saturday, July 25, and Sunday, July 26, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Where: Moody Gardens Visitor Center, 1 Hope Blvd, Galveston, TX 77554

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