Jay Rooker and Richard Kraus of TAMUG and Ron Hill

This work is being conducted in cooperation with Texas A&M University at Galveston and is being funded by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.  We are assisting in the characterization of habitats and fish assemblages on offshore coral-topped banks.  Work will proceed with side-scan sonar, mapping benthic habitats, and fish surveys using divers, ROV, and trapping.  Comparisons between banks on the upper coast and lower coast are planned for continued research through the Council.  Findings will support the Council’s identification of these banks as EFH HAPCs.