WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.020 --> 00:00:06.100 [Tom Bright] Eureka. Oh yeah, there was a sense of accomplishment when the Flower Gardens 00:00:06.140 --> 00:00:11.340 was finally designated as a national marine sanctuary. Yeah. 00:00:11.340 --> 00:00:19.140 Eureka. It's done. Well, it wasn't ever done. It's not done yet. 00:00:25.300 --> 00:00:31.660 [Jesse Cancelmo] My hope is that these reefs, the Flower Garden Banks as we have today, 00:00:31.740 --> 00:00:39.860 East, West, and Stetson, as well as the expanded areas, will maintain their health 00:00:39.860 --> 00:00:42.900 for generations to come. 00:00:42.900 --> 00:00:49.900 [Buddy Guindon] I think in any situation where you have one of the only ones, you should take care of it. 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:52.860 [Jake Emmert] So maybe it's the fact that it's so remote, 00:00:52.860 --> 00:00:56.500 but it's so beautiful, and the community that it has out there, 00:00:56.500 --> 00:00:59.930 so perhaps that's part of the value at least for me is I want to protect it 00:00:59.930 --> 00:01:03.560 just like I would want to protect my own backyard back home. 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:06.480 [Narrator] NOAA's Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary 00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:10.060 protects some of the healthiest coral reefs in the world. 00:01:10.060 --> 00:01:13.660 The sanctuary is proposing to expand its boundaries 00:01:13.660 --> 00:01:18.320 to protect 14 more reefs and banks off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana. 00:01:20.460 --> 00:01:24.600 This proposal builds on more than 30 years of research and reports calling for 00:01:24.600 --> 00:01:27.200 protection of these nationally significant areas. 00:01:28.220 --> 00:01:34.420 The expansion would add 104 square miles of critically important habitats to the sanctuary. 00:01:34.428 --> 00:01:40.720 They include deep coral communities, unique geological features, expansive zones of algal nodules, 00:01:40.720 --> 00:01:46.920 and countless species, including some of the icons of recreational and commercial fishing. 00:01:46.920 --> 00:01:50.920 Together, these habitats serve as reservoirs of abundance and diversity, 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:54.680 and engines of sustainability for the Gulf of Mexico. 00:01:55.540 --> 00:02:01.220 In the 1970s and 80s, scientists and community members called for protection of the three banks that 00:02:01.220 --> 00:02:05.520 currently make up Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. 00:02:05.520 --> 00:02:10.120 Today, local communities have called for further protection of the economic and 00:02:10.130 --> 00:02:14.420 ecological resources that will ensure a productive and resilient Gulf of Mexico 00:02:14.420 --> 00:02:17.420 for years to come. 00:02:18.640 --> 00:02:24.700 [Tom Bright] The coral cover at the Flower Gardens is greater now than it was when we were 00:02:24.700 --> 00:02:27.640 studying them back in the 70s and 80s. 00:02:27.640 --> 00:02:32.400 So these reefs are special because they remain healthy. 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:37.440 That's a good sign. That means these reefs are hanging in there, 00:02:37.450 --> 00:02:43.620 and we need the reefs that will hang in there because a lot of reefs worldwide are not. 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:51.280 The habitats that are supported largely by both corals and algal reef builders 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:57.360 are indeed resources that we need to protect for the benefit of all the stakeholders. 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:02.880 These terraces covered by algal nodules, which cover many of the 00:03:02.890 --> 00:03:10.209 banks to be included in the expansion, are possibly of higher diversity in 00:03:10.209 --> 00:03:14.420 terms of the numbers of species than the coral reef itself. 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:24.940 [G.P. Schmahl] The proposed sanctuary expansion is the culmination of years of work by a variety of people, 00:03:24.940 --> 00:03:29.440 and is supported strongly by the public and by a number of our partners that 00:03:29.440 --> 00:03:31.120 we've worked with over the years. 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:33.609 Expansion of the sanctuary will add to 00:03:33.609 --> 00:03:39.560 the ability to protect important areas, to provide for the resilience of communities, 00:03:39.620 --> 00:03:43.720 and to sustain important economies in the Gulf of Mexico that are 00:03:43.720 --> 00:03:48.040 dependent on the health of these natural resources. 00:03:48.160 --> 00:03:52.280 [Buddy Guindon] I've been told it's one of the most pristine environments in the world. 00:03:52.280 --> 00:03:55.100 When these scientists tell me that, I believe them. 00:03:55.100 --> 00:03:59.560 [Ruth Perry] The reason why it's so critical that we get this expansion and 00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:03.910 we increase these banks is because the science has shown that these banks are 00:04:03.910 --> 00:04:07.820 unique and they're a critical part of the ecosystem. 00:04:07.820 --> 00:04:12.260 [Jesse Cancelmo] There is evidence that shows 00:04:12.260 --> 00:04:17.420 that protecting these additional areas deserve merit. 00:04:17.420 --> 00:04:19.420 [Scott Hickman] These resources belong to all Americans. 00:04:19.420 --> 00:04:23.140 Not just the people that live on the Texas coast or the Florida coast. 00:04:23.140 --> 00:04:25.330 The sanctuaries belong to all Americans, 00:04:25.330 --> 00:04:29.580 and they need to go see these places. They're quite amazing. 00:04:30.080 --> 00:04:36.039 [Clint Moore] I believe in the mission and believe in protecting the resources for generations to come 00:04:36.039 --> 00:04:41.259 and what I'm hoping is this boundary expansion is going to cause millions of 00:04:41.259 --> 00:04:48.310 other people, both children and adults, to learn about these wonders and treasures 00:04:48.310 --> 00:04:55.180 of the offshore Gulf of Mexico that have been there, but are just big secrets. 00:04:55.180 --> 00:04:59.020 And they're our secrets, but they're not going to be anymore because we're gonna 00:04:59.020 --> 00:05:00.700 bring it to the public. 00:05:00.700 --> 00:05:03.100 [G.P. Schmahl] The more we found out about these areas the more we 00:05:03.100 --> 00:05:06.520 realize that these were not just important marine habitats, but some of 00:05:06.520 --> 00:05:11.940 these areas are as diverse and as productive as any marine communities in the world. 00:05:11.940 --> 00:05:16.360 [Narrator] This is your Gulf of Mexico. Tell us what you think about the 00:05:16.360 --> 00:05:21.300 proposed changes to Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.