Deep Sea Coral Protection
Current understanding
To be populated as evidence accumulates.
Evidence log
- 2026-09-18 — Coral, Coral Reefs, and Live/Hardbottom Habitats of the South Atlantic and the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region; Amendments 11/12: cross-connection with fisheries-management-south-atlantic: Oculina Bank access-area proposal reopens a strip inside a deep-water coral protection zone to rock shrimp trawling, directly trading off shrimp fishery access against deep-sea coral habitat integrity. (novelty: 2)
- 2003-11-25 — Deep Sea Coral Protection Act: A 2003 Senate bill (Deep Sea Coral Protection Act) proposed banning mobile bottom-tending fishing gear in designated Coral Management Areas and directing Commerce/NOAA to map and protect additional deep-sea coral and sponge habitat, but was referred to committee and never enacted. (novelty: 2)