WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en-US 00:00:00.770 --> 00:00:07.669 The vast, open sea. It may look endless and desolate, but its blue cloak conceals a vibrant, 00:00:07.669 --> 00:00:13.940 three-dimensional world. Beneath the undulating ocean surface, a wide variety of structures 00:00:13.940 --> 00:00:19.340 rise from the seafloor to create biological hotspots. In certain places, they support 00:00:19.340 --> 00:00:24.660 some of the highest concentrations of marine life on the planet. What is it about these 00:00:24.660 --> 00:00:34.641 places that draws such an abundance of life? Banks are elevated features of the seafloor. 00:00:34.641 --> 00:00:39.160 They often disrupt and redirect ocean currents, stirring up nutrients from the depths and 00:00:39.160 --> 00:00:46.710 enriching local sunlit waters. This mixing powers food chains that support huge quantities 00:00:46.710 --> 00:00:48.010 of marine life. 00:00:48.010 --> 00:00:54.600 They create 3-dimensional oases rising up from a dark and more barren seascape. 00:00:54.600 --> 00:01:00.149 Off the coast of Point Reyes, California, one such formation, called Cordell Bank, rises 00:01:00.149 --> 00:01:08.149 from the Pacific seafloor to within 115 feet of the surface. This magnificent bank ecosystem 00:01:08.149 --> 00:01:14.749 supports a rich community of resident species and attracts migratory seabirds, marine mammals, 00:01:14.749 --> 00:01:20.850 fish, and other magnificent life from thousands of miles to feast on its bounty. 00:01:20.850 --> 00:01:26.079 Atop its rocky pinnacles you’ll find an astonishing diversity of fish and invertebrates, 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:31.759 where every square inch is covered with life. It is part of an area of over twelve hundred 00:01:31.759 --> 00:01:38.759 square miles that was designated as a national marine sanctuary in 1989. Banks are also prominent 00:01:38.759 --> 00:01:44.529 features of two other national marine sanctuaries -- one off the East Coast and a group of banks 00:01:44.529 --> 00:01:53.700 in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Stellwagen Bank, an 842 square-mile sanctuary 25 miles 00:01:53.700 --> 00:01:59.170 from Boston, is steeped in maritime history. Known as productive fishing and whaling grounds 00:01:59.170 --> 00:02:05.219 as early as the 1600s, today busy traffic lanes for commercial ships in and out of Boston 00:02:05.219 --> 00:02:11.120 cross Stellwagen Bank. Nowadays, tourists have replaced whalers and come from around 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:16.460 the globe to see the majestic whales of this world-class wildlife sanctuary. What they 00:02:16.460 --> 00:02:22.950 don't see is equally spectacular: the thriving ecosystem below. A plankton soup nourishing 00:02:22.950 --> 00:02:27.530 schools of sand lance and other forage fish that feed the great whales. And, like other 00:02:27.530 --> 00:02:32.640 famous fishing banks, such as Georges Bank and the Grand Banks, this place supplies some 00:02:32.640 --> 00:02:41.120 of our favorite seafoods - groundfish, lobsters, scallops, and clams. In the northern Gulf 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:47.400 of Mexico, a system of banks rims the outer continental shelf from Texas to Florida. Seventeen 00:02:47.400 --> 00:02:53.791 of these banks, located 80 to 125 miles off Texas and Louisiana, make up Flower Garden 00:02:53.791 --> 00:03:00.500 Banks National Marine Sanctuary. The banks of this 160 square mile sanctuary support 00:03:00.500 --> 00:03:08.080 thriving reef communities, from coral reefs on the shallowest banks to huge expanses of 00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:14.470 black coral, sea fans, and sponges at greater depths. Among the wonders of these underwater 00:03:14.470 --> 00:03:26.540 treasures are mass coral spawning events timed with the moon phase, manta ray nurseries, 00:03:26.540 --> 00:03:35.810 and the world's largest fish... the whale shark. Though created by very different forces 00:03:35.810 --> 00:03:42.270 - Cordell by tectonic uplift, the Flower Gardens by upward movement of ancient salt deposits, 00:03:42.270 --> 00:03:47.090 and Stellwagen by the deposition of glacial sand and gravel - these unique banks 00:03:47.090 --> 00:03:53.286 have all been recognized as special marine places, and set aside as National Marine Sanctuaries. 00:03:53.286 --> 00:03:58.717 But, banks are not unique to just these three sites, they’re also found in other sanctuaries -- 00:03:58.717 --> 00:04:05.800 and along the coasts of countries around the world, where they, too, are valued for their role in the ocean ecosystem and the 00:04:05.800 --> 00:04:12.420 benefits they provide people. Your national marine sanctuaries are living laboratories 00:04:12.420 --> 00:04:23.900 for scientists studying the marine world. They give educators captivating content to 00:04:23.900 --> 00:04:31.759 inspire students of all ages to become ocean stewards. 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:39.270 They provide incomparable opportunities for recreation, both above and below the water. 00:04:39.270 --> 00:04:44.360 They support thriving ecosystems that are the heart of our blue planet’s health and 00:04:44.360 --> 00:04:51.120 engines of economic and social well being in coastal communities. These places inspire 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:56.919 us to protect our magnificent underwater treasures for future generations. Protecting offshore 00:04:56.919 --> 00:05:05.774 banks is an investment in our ocean, our economy, and our nation’s future.