Flower Garden Banks 

National Marine Sanctuary

"The Texas Caribbean"

Located 110 miles off the southern Texas coast in the Gulf of Mexico is a unique coral reef environment. Out in the open ocean and 65 feet below the surface a landscape of live coral coverage rises from the deep. There are three primary reefs here. The Flower Garden Banks are divided into East and West sections. About 40 miles closer to the Texas coast is Stetson Bank. All of the reefs in this area are protected be the National Marine Sanctuary program operated by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The coral reefs rest atop ancient salt mounds and are accompanied by oil drilling platforms that pepper the distant horizon of the Gulf of Mexico.

Access to the sanctuary is limited to a few dive operators in the area. Most of the activity on these coral reefs stems from research conducted by scientists associated with various NOAA programs. The Flower Garden Banks and Stetson Bank are remarkably healthy coral reef ecosystems with live coral coverage exceeding 90% in some areas.

The East and West Flower Garden Banks are dominated by hard corals. A significant variety of sponges can also be found in areas not yet colonized by stony corals. But soft corals are notably absent here. 

To date 21 species of hard corals have been described from the Flower Garden Banks; they are as follows: Montastrea faveolata, M. annularis, M. cavernosa, M. franksii, Diploria strigosa, Porites asteroides, Colophyllia natans, Millepora alcicornis, Agaricia sp., Stephanocoenia intersept, Madracis decactis, Siderastrea siderea, Mussa angulosa, Scolymia cubensis, Porites furcata, Madracis mirabilis, and five others.

nvertebrates like the short spine urchin are quite common actively consuming algae at night.

Another nocturnally active invertebrate is the Camel Shrimp (Rhychocinetes durbanensis) which feeds on small crustaceans and worms. 

Stetson Bank is an interesting reef because there are very few corals. It is actually known as a sponge and algae reef. The fish population here is impressive. There are many common Caribbean species. 

The French Angelfish (Pomacanthus paru) in the left image displays some sub-adult features of yellow vertical stripes on the face and body. A full adult specimen is shown to the right.  

The Creole fish which would be uncommon and found in deep water along the Florida Keys is here both abundant and a relatively shallow water swimmer. 

With abundant sponge populations there is a wide variety of small reef fishes that call them home. Here juvenile damsel fish dart in and out of a blue tube sponge.

Large Rock Beauty Angelfish (Holacanthus tricolor) can be seen patrolling their territories.   

At night, the Scrawled Filefish is most colorful displaying nocturnal blue and white patterns. They sleep under ledges or nestled between rock outcroppings.

At depths of 15 to 21 feet (5 to 7 meters) Barracuda are seen swimming alone or in groups. When approached, these fish will quickly swim away so their teeth make them appear more ominous than they really are. 

Cleaning stations are quite common at both the Flower Garden Banks and on Stetson Bank. In the photograph above a Spotted Box fish has parasites removed by a pair of active wrasses. 

REEF REPRODUCTION

Once per year a very exciting event takes place in the Flower Gardens. Every summer eight days after the full moon in August a mass spawning event occurs with hard corals releasing billions of eggs into the ocean. 

The eggs are fertilized in the water column by male coral colonies in the vicinity that recognize the chemical cues produced by the egg release. Small spheres known as egg bundles are just that, thousands of eggs clustered together that rise in the water and break open into many individual eggs.

Egg bundles first appear as they gently rest atop the oral opening of the coral polyps. Shortly afterward groups of polyps begin releasing the eggs and in waves the bundles delicately float away from the colony.

This years event was quite remarkable and memorable for many reasons. Most notable, little did we know was that it took place just three days prior to the arrival of 2005's hurricane Katrina! This expedition was cut short a day as Katrina's clouds filled the sky and the seas roughened in the Gulf.

In part 2 of this expedition page we examine the collection of the coral eggs and successfully rearing them for the SECORE project. These new techniques will usher in the future of the marine aquarium trade!