March 5, 2026

Restoration Lab Corals Return to the Seafloor for the First Time

A recent expedition off the coast of Louisiana marked an exciting milestone for the Deepwater Horizon Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities restoration projects! Over the past few years, scientists collected mesophotic corals from the Gulf to contribute to spawning and growth studies in federal and partner labs. These corals will support restoration of habitats impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This summer, the first round of corals being cared for in these labs returned to the seafloor from NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center’s lab in Galveston, Texas. Scientists will monitor the corals over the coming years to understand the success of different coral propagation methods. 

Read more about this mission from Galveston, Texas, to 100 miles off the coast of Louisiana, just outside of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/restoration-lab-corals-return-seafloor-first-time

What Are Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Habitats? These mesophotic and deep benthic habitats, or areas of the seafloor that see little to no sunlight, are hard to reach and hard to study–meaning we are just beginning to understand them.

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