An improved understanding of species habitat use, ecosystem connectivity, and the influence of environment and anthropogenic impacts on these processes is needed to evaluate marine protected area…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded Louisiana State University a $449,157 cooperative agreement on June 1, 2026, under the Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research Coastal Ocean Program (CFDA 11.478) to characterize marine ecosystem connectivity and species habitat use at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

The research will monitor acoustic telemetry data from over 700 tagged reef fish individuals across shallow and mesophotic zones to evaluate connectivity within the sanctuary and between natural and artificial habitats outside sanctuary boundaries. The project will identify timing, location, and environmental cues driving spawning and foraging aggregations; develop the first comprehensive examination of human use patterns at the sanctuary including fishing, diving, and vessel traffic and their relationship to animal movement and habitat use; and assess larval dispersal and connectivity between the sanctuary and nearby reef systems to evaluate how environmental changes will impact connectivity. This work builds on previously NOAA-funded research leveraging an acoustic telemetry network maintained by the principal investigators in partnership with the sanctuary.

The award runs from June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2030, with performance based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Texas A&M University at Galveston is a sub-recipient responsible for maintaining and servicing monitoring equipment across the western half of the sanctuary monitoring array, including Stetson Bank, West Flower Garden Bank, East Flower Garden Bank, Horseshoe Bank, McNeil Bank, Rankin Bank, 28 Fathom Bank, Bright Bank, and Geyer Bank. Equipment will be serviced annually with continual deployment and data download.

An improved understanding of species habitat use, ecosystem connectivity, and the influence of environment and anthropogenic impacts on these processes is needed to evaluate marine protected area (MPA) boundaries for effective management and conservation of marine resources. This is particularly needed for the flower garden banks national marine sanctuary (fgbnms) in the northern gulf of america (ngoa), which contains the northernmost hermatypic coral reefs in territorial waters of the united states. These reefs are among the healthiest coral reef systems in the western atlantic ocean and serve a critical role in the persistence of many populations of marine organisms. This project will build on previously NOAA-funded work and leverage a large acoustic telemetry network maintained by the PIS in partnership with fgbnms to monitor movement patterns of over 700 tagged individuals. Specific objectives of this research are to 1) characterize connectivity between shallow and mesophotic zones for a wide range of reef fishes; 2) evaluate ecosystem connectivity for reef fishes among banks within fgbnms and between habitats (natural and artificial) outside of the sanctuary; 3) identify timing, location, and environmental cues of spawning and foraging aggregations; 4) develop the first comprehensive examination of human use of the sanctuary (e.g., fishing, diving, vessel traffic) and relate patterns of human use to animal movement and habitat use; and 5) evaluate larval dispersal and connectivity between the fgbnms and nearby reef systems to assess how connectivity will be impacted by environmental changes.