[Tom Bright] Eureka. Oh yeah, there was a sense of accomplishment when the Flower Gardens
was finally designated as a national marine sanctuary. Yeah.
Eureka. It's done. Well, it wasn't ever done. It's not done yet.
[Jesse Cancelmo] My hope is that these reefs, the Flower Garden Banks as we have today,
East, West, and Stetson, as well as the expanded areas, will maintain their health
for generations to come.
[Buddy Guindon] I think in any situation where you have one of the only ones, you should take care of it.
[Jake Emmert] So maybe it's the fact that it's so remote,
but it's so beautiful, and the community that it has out there,
so perhaps that's part of the value at least for me is I want to protect it
just like I would want to protect my own backyard back home.
[Narrator] NOAA's Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
protects some of the healthiest coral reefs in the world.
The sanctuary is proposing to expand its boundaries
to protect 14 more reefs and banks off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana.
This proposal builds on more than 30 years of research and reports calling for
protection of these nationally significant areas.
The expansion would add 104 square miles of critically important habitats to the sanctuary.
They include deep coral communities, unique geological features, expansive zones of algal nodules,
and countless species, including some of the icons of recreational and commercial fishing.
Together, these habitats serve as reservoirs of abundance and diversity,
and engines of sustainability for the Gulf of Mexico.
In the 1970s and 80s, scientists and community members called for protection of the three banks that
currently make up Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
Today, local communities have called for further protection of the economic and
ecological resources that will ensure a productive and resilient Gulf of Mexico
for years to come.
[Tom Bright] The coral cover at the Flower Gardens is greater now than it was when we were
studying them back in the 70s and 80s.
So these reefs are special because they remain healthy.
That's a good sign. That means these reefs are hanging in there,
and we need the reefs that will hang in there because a lot of reefs worldwide are not.
The habitats that are supported largely by both corals and algal reef builders
are indeed resources that we need to protect for the benefit of all the stakeholders.
These terraces covered by algal nodules, which cover many of the
banks to be included in the expansion, are possibly of higher diversity in
terms of the numbers of species than the coral reef itself.
[G.P. Schmahl] The proposed sanctuary expansion is the culmination of years of work by a variety of people,
and is supported strongly by the public and by a number of our partners that
we've worked with over the years.
Expansion of the sanctuary will add to
the ability to protect important areas, to provide for the resilience of communities,
and to sustain important economies in the Gulf of Mexico that are
dependent on the health of these natural resources.
[Buddy Guindon] I've been told it's one of the most pristine environments in the world.
When these scientists tell me that, I believe them.
[Ruth Perry] The reason why it's so critical that we get this expansion and
we increase these banks is because the science has shown that these banks are
unique and they're a critical part of the ecosystem.
[Jesse Cancelmo] There is evidence that shows
that protecting these additional areas deserve merit.
[Scott Hickman] These resources belong to all Americans.
Not just the people that live on the Texas coast or the Florida coast.
The sanctuaries belong to all Americans,
and they need to go see these places. They're quite amazing.
[Clint Moore] I believe in the mission and believe in protecting the resources for generations to come
and what I'm hoping is this boundary expansion is going to cause millions of
other people, both children and adults, to learn about these wonders and treasures
of the offshore Gulf of Mexico that have been there, but are just big secrets.
And they're our secrets, but they're not going to be anymore because we're gonna
bring it to the public.
[G.P. Schmahl] The more we found out about these areas the more we
realize that these were not just important marine habitats, but some of
these areas are as diverse and as productive as any marine communities in the world.
[Narrator] This is your Gulf of Mexico. Tell us what you think about the
proposed changes to Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.