Protected Marine Ecosystems in Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico Offshore Ouses Protected Marine Ecosystems The Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency within the Department of the Interior, protects the marine environment as part of its responsibility to manoge the mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (Ocs) in an environmentally sound and sofe manner. A number of stipulations protect the environment: the National Environmental Policy Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act address most human activities on the OCs. natural resource protection strategy. the MMS funds studies that document biogeochemical characteristics and processes, as well as critical biologiçal communities in the OCs. The MMS requires that industry prevent any impocts on sensitive habitats on the OCS. As part of its Ancient reets of the Pimocle Trend located eost of the Mississippi River delto ere home te fish, seo fons, soft corols. feather and basket stors, ond spenges Mississippi Alabama In the weitem Gur a ber ef rge seefloor ondi elso know as "repographic fectures rise obeve the sureunding maddy seefoor into open-scean weters. Meny af these seatioor noundr, loceted at the edge of the continental shelf, are home to umers Trepical plents and oils: fish, corels. cerslive elye. leety algee. sponges molunca, and echinodern The Flowar Gerden Berka, Stetsan Bank and Sonnier Senka ore eramples sf sach seefloor nounds treraformed by oninls end plets ite celortul trepicol reefs Louisiana Florida Poncol Nobl BIon Hard Bottom Feataru Houston Pinoacles ম Техаs Duolo Cayon The oinertel e he mot podetive ngion of the sceam and a coridened to eotand an the ho ta wa 20n ia dees Liaviatanu Patstu Floow Gardan lanks-Sonnier lanks These colerful scenes of trepicad underwater ife ot the Rewer Gerden Rarks n Stetson Bonk are exongles of thving roet conruntier on high-reliet barke along the thaf edge The area offahere from Stetson Ban lsalnaippl Canyon Micsiesippi cnd Alobone is knewn 0s the Pienocle Trend. This is o unique festure within the 40m (130 ft) deph reef-type conaities e the edge of the shelf. Averoge height of the pinnacies is appraximately 10 m (33 f1) with some cecoeding 15 m (50 tt) Aherretypic carola, octocorala, crinoide, hydraidr, and spanger daminete the cammunitie. One of the eest inpartant contritetiens ef these features is to preeide hobitat for tumerous fishes commonly oisociated with hard-battan habitata in the Gulf of Meoca ca well a a variety of pelogie fah band ef subrmarine Chemosynmeto Zone range that support Pinnacles Chemcsyntherie Zane Chumssyntvetic Zaro Maalaalpal Fau Gulf of Mexico rumavilv sa Chenorynthetic comunities ore groups of crimels living in the deep seE (deeper then 300 m er 985 ft) an dissolved gaaes throogh a ymbiotic ascociatien with becteric living inside their tissuns The nost eye catching chemoayrithetic aninas in the Gulf ef Mexico are fubevorma (reaching 2mar 7 ft in length) and e variety of specier of mussels cnd clons that Eve off methane ond hydrogen sulfide. Tubevorma are thought ts be the langert-ved invertebrate crivals s eorth. Ovenesyathetic onivels ere renorkable because they ere the only large crimals thet use a carben source (feed) independent of photesysthesis and he sun-dependest photoaynthehic food chein, which supparts all other life on corth. Chenoryethetic camnunities in the Gult are usaally tound et depths ranging fram 400 m to 3.200 m (1,312 fto 10,000 ). Cremesynthetic tube worms ond nussels thrive on noturelly seeping ydrogen sutide ond methane in deepwoters et the Guf. U.G.Drpartmet of the Interior For copies of this parer cal 1-800-200-GULF lerret Site: WWW MMS.00v MMS 2006-003-P Gulf of Mexico Offshore Ouses Protected Marine Ecosystems The Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency within the Department of the Interior, protects the marine environment as part of its responsibility to manoge the mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (Ocs) in an environmentally sound and sofe manner. A number of stipulations protect the environment: the National Environmental Policy Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act address most human activities on the OCs. natural resource protection strategy. the MMS funds studies that document biogeochemical characteristics and processes, as well as critical biologiçal communities in the OCs. The MMS requires that industry prevent any impocts on sensitive habitats on the OCS. As part of its Ancient reets of the Pimocle Trend located eost of the Mississippi River delto ere home te fish, seo fons, soft corols. feather and basket stors, ond spenges Mississippi Alabama In the weitem Gur a ber ef rge seefloor ondi elso know as "repographic fectures rise obeve the sureunding maddy seefoor into open-scean weters. Meny af these seatioor noundr, loceted at the edge of the continental shelf, are home to umers Trepical plents and oils: fish, corels. cerslive elye. leety algee. sponges molunca, and echinodern The Flowar Gerden Berka, Stetsan Bank and Sonnier Senka ore eramples sf sach seefloor nounds treraformed by oninls end plets ite celortul trepicol reefs Louisiana Florida Nobl BIon Hard Bottom Feataru Houston Pinoacles Техаs Duolo Cayon The oinertel e he mot podetive ngion of the sceam and a coridened to eotand an the ho ta wa 20n ia dees Liaviatanu Patstu Floow Gardan lanks-Sonnier lanks These colerful scenes of trepicad underwater ife ot the Rewer Gerden Rarks n Stetson Bonk are exongles of thving roet conruntier on high-reliet barke along the thaf edge The area offahere from Stetson Ban Micsiesippi cnd Alobone is knewn 0s the Pienocle Trend. This is o unique festure within the 40m (130 ft) deph reef-type conaities e the edge of the shelf. Averoge height of the pinnacies is appraximately 10 m (33 f1) with some cecoeding 15 m (50 tt) Aherretypic carola, octocorala, crinoide, hydraidr, and spanger daminete the cammunitie. One of the eest inpartant contritetiens ef these features is to preeide hobitat for tumerous fishes commonly oisociated with hard-battan habitata in the Gulf of Meoca ca well a a variety of pelogie fah Canyon band ef subrmarine Chemosynmeto Zone range that support Pinnacles Chemcsyntherie Zane Chumssyntvetic Zaro Maalaalpal Gulf of Mexico sa Chenorynthetic comunities ore groups of crimels living in the deep seE (deeper then 300 m er 985 ft) an dissolved gaaes throogh a ymbiotic ascociatien with becteric living inside their tissuns The nost eye catching chemoayrithetic aninas in the Gulf ef Mexico are fubevorma (reaching 2mar 7 ft in length) and e variety of specier of mussels cnd clons that Eve off methane ond hydrogen sulfide. Tubevorma are thought ts be the langert-ved invertebrate crivals s eorth. Ovenesyathetic onivels ere renorkable because they ere the only large crimals thet use a carben source (feed) independent of photesysthesis and he sun-dependest photoaynthehic food chein, which supparts all other life on corth. Chenoryethetic camnunities in the Gult are usaally tound et depths ranging fram 400 m to 3.200 m (1,312 fto 10,000 ). Cremesynthetic tube worms ond nussels thrive on noturelly seeping ydrogen sutide ond methane in deepwoters et the Guf. U.G.Drpartmet of the Interior For copies of this parer cal 1-800-200-GULF lerret Site: WWW MMS.00v MMS 2006-003-P Gulf of Mexico Offshore Ouses Protected Marine Ecosystems The Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency within the Department of the Interior, protects the marine environment as part of its responsibility to manoge the mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (Ocs) in an environmentally sound and sofe manner. A number of stipulations protect the environment: the National Environmental Policy Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act address most human activities on the OCs. natural resource protection strategy. the MMS funds studies that document biogeochemical characteristics and processes, as well as critical biologiçal communities in the OCs. The MMS requires that industry prevent any impocts on sensitive habitats on the OCS. As part of its Ancient reets of the Pimocle Trend located eost of the Mississippi River delto ere home te fish, seo fons, soft corols. feather and basket stors, ond spenges Mississippi Alabama In the weitem Gur a ber ef rge seefloor ondi elso know as "repographic fectures rise obeve the sureunding maddy seefoor into open-scean weters. Meny af these seatioor noundr, loceted at the edge of the continental shelf, are home to umers Trepical plents and oils: fish, corels. cerslive elye. leety algee. sponges molunca, and echinodern The Flowar Gerden Berka, Stetsan Bank and Sonnier Senka ore eramples sf sach seefloor nounds treraformed by oninls end plets ite celortul trepicol reefs Louisiana Florida Nobl BIon Hard Bottom Feataru Houston Pinoacles Техаs Duolo Cayon The oinertel e he mot podetive ngion of the sceam and a coridened to eotand an the ho ta wa 20n ia dees Liaviatanu Patstu Floow Gardan lanks-Sonnier lanks These colerful scenes of trepicad underwater ife ot the Rewer Gerden Rarks n Stetson Bonk are exongles of thving roet conruntier on high-reliet barke along the thaf edge The area offahere from Stetson Ban Micsiesippi cnd Alobone is knewn 0s the Pienocle Trend. This is o unique festure within the 40m (130 ft) deph reef-type conaities e the edge of the shelf. Averoge height of the pinnacies is appraximately 10 m (33 f1) with some cecoeding 15 m (50 tt) Aherretypic carola, octocorala, crinoide, hydraidr, and spanger daminete the cammunitie. One of the eest inpartant contritetiens ef these features is to preeide hobitat for tumerous fishes commonly oisociated with hard-battan habitata in the Gulf of Meoca ca well a a variety of pelogie fah Canyon band ef subrmarine Chemosynmeto Zone range that support Pinnacles Chemcsyntherie Zane Chumssyntvetic Zaro Maalaalpal Gulf of Mexico sa Chenorynthetic comunities ore groups of crimels living in the deep seE (deeper then 300 m er 985 ft) an dissolved gaaes throogh a ymbiotic ascociatien with becteric living inside their tissuns The nost eye catching chemoayrithetic aninas in the Gulf ef Mexico are fubevorma (reaching 2mar 7 ft in length) and e variety of specier of mussels cnd clons that Eve off methane ond hydrogen sulfide. Tubevorma are thought ts be the langert-ved invertebrate crivals s eorth. Ovenesyathetic onivels ere renorkable because they ere the only large crimals thet use a carben source (feed) independent of photesysthesis and he sun-dependest photoaynthehic food chein, which supparts all other life on corth. Chenoryethetic camnunities in the Gult are usaally tound et depths ranging fram 400 m to 3.200 m (1,312 fto 10,000 ). Cremesynthetic tube worms ond nussels thrive on noturelly seeping ydrogen sutide ond methane in deepwoters et the Guf. U.G.Drpartmet of the Interior For copies of this parer cal 1-800-200-GULF lerret Site: WWW MMS.00v MMS 2006-003-P Gulf of Mexico Offshore Ouses Protected Marine Ecosystems The Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency within the Department of the Interior, protects the marine environment as part of its responsibility to manoge the mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (Ocs) in an environmentally sound and sofe manner. A number of stipulations protect the environment: the National Environmental Policy Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act address most human activities on the OCs. natural resource protection strategy. the MMS funds studies that document biogeochemical characteristics and processes, as well as critical biologiçal communities in the OCs. The MMS requires that industry prevent any impocts on sensitive habitats on the OCS. As part of its Ancient reets of the Pimocle Trend located eost of the Mississippi River delto ere home te fish, seo fons, soft corols. feather and basket stors, ond spenges Mississippi Alabama In the weitem Gur a ber ef rge seefloor ondi elso know as "repographic fectures rise obeve the sureunding maddy seefoor into open-scean weters. Meny af these seatioor noundr, loceted at the edge of the continental shelf, are home to umers Trepical plents and oils: fish, corels. cerslive elye. leety algee. sponges molunca, and echinodern The Flowar Gerden Berka, Stetsan Bank and Sonnier Senka ore eramples sf sach seefloor nounds treraformed by oninls end plets ite celortul trepicol reefs Louisiana Florida Nobl BIon Hard Bottom Feataru Houston Pinoacles Техаs Duolo Cayon The oinertel e he mot podetive ngion of the sceam and a coridened to eotand an the ho ta wa 20n ia dees Liaviatanu Patstu Floow Gardan lanks-Sonnier lanks These colerful scenes of trepicad underwater ife ot the Rewer Gerden Rarks n Stetson Bonk are exongles of thving roet conruntier on high-reliet barke along the thaf edge The area offahere from Stetson Ban Micsiesippi cnd Alobone is knewn 0s the Pienocle Trend. This is o unique festure within the 40m (130 ft) deph reef-type conaities e the edge of the shelf. Averoge height of the pinnacies is appraximately 10 m (33 f1) with some cecoeding 15 m (50 tt) Aherretypic carola, octocorala, crinoide, hydraidr, and spanger daminete the cammunitie. One of the eest inpartant contritetiens ef these features is to preeide hobitat for tumerous fishes commonly oisociated with hard-battan habitata in the Gulf of Meoca ca well a a variety of pelogie fah Canyon band ef subrmarine Chemosynmeto Zone range that support Pinnacles Chemcsyntherie Zane Chumssyntvetic Zaro Maalaalpal Gulf of Mexico sa Chenorynthetic comunities ore groups of crimels living in the deep seE (deeper then 300 m er 985 ft) an dissolved gaaes throogh a ymbiotic ascociatien with becteric living inside their tissuns The nost eye catching chemoayrithetic aninas in the Gulf ef Mexico are fubevorma (reaching 2mar 7 ft in length) and e variety of specier of mussels cnd clons that Eve off methane ond hydrogen sulfide. Tubevorma are thought ts be the langert-ved invertebrate crivals s eorth. Ovenesyathetic onivels ere renorkable because they ere the only large crimals thet use a carben source (feed) independent of photesysthesis and he sun-dependest photoaynthehic food chein, which supparts all other life on corth. Chenoryethetic camnunities in the Gult are usaally tound et depths ranging fram 400 m to 3.200 m (1,312 fto 10,000 ). Cremesynthetic tube worms ond nussels thrive on noturelly seeping ydrogen sutide ond methane in deepwoters et the Guf. U.G.Drpartmet of the Interior For copies of this parer cal 1-800-200-GULF lerret Site: WWW MMS.00v MMS 2006-003-P Gulf of Mexico Offshore Ouses Protected Marine Ecosystems The Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency within the Department of the Interior, protects the marine environment as part of its responsibility to manoge the mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (Ocs) in an environmentally sound and sofe manner. A number of stipulations protect the environment: the National Environmental Policy Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act address most human activities on the OCs. natural resource protection strategy. the MMS funds studies that document biogeochemical characteristics and processes, as well as critical biologiçal communities in the OCs. The MMS requires that industry prevent any impocts on sensitive habitats on the OCS. As part of its Ancient reets of the Pimocle Trend located eost of the Mississippi River delto ere home te fish, seo fons, soft corols. feather and basket stors, ond spenges Mississippi Alabama In the weitem Gur a ber ef rge seefloor ondi elso know as "repographic fectures rise obeve the sureunding maddy seefoor into open-scean weters. Meny af these seatioor noundr, loceted at the edge of the continental shelf, are home to umers Trepical plents and oils: fish, corels. cerslive elye. leety algee. sponges molunca, and echinodern The Flowar Gerden Berka, Stetsan Bank and Sonnier Senka ore eramples sf sach seefloor nounds treraformed by oninls end plets ite celortul trepicol reefs Louisiana Florida Nobl BIon Hard Bottom Feataru Houston Pinoacles Техаs Duolo Cayon The oinertel e he mot podetive ngion of the sceam and a coridened to eotand an the ho ta wa 20n ia dees Liaviatanu Patstu Floow Gardan lanks-Sonnier lanks These colerful scenes of trepicad underwater ife ot the Rewer Gerden Rarks n Stetson Bonk are exongles of thving roet conruntier on high-reliet barke along the thaf edge The area offahere from Stetson Ban Micsiesippi cnd Alobone is knewn 0s the Pienocle Trend. This is o unique festure within the 40m (130 ft) deph reef-type conaities e the edge of the shelf. Averoge height of the pinnacies is appraximately 10 m (33 f1) with some cecoeding 15 m (50 tt) Aherretypic carola, octocorala, crinoide, hydraidr, and spanger daminete the cammunitie. One of the eest inpartant contritetiens ef these features is to preeide hobitat for tumerous fishes commonly oisociated with hard-battan habitata in the Gulf of Meoca ca well a a variety of pelogie fah Canyon band ef subrmarine Chemosynmeto Zone range that support Pinnacles Chemcsyntherie Zane Chumssyntvetic Zaro Maalaalpal Gulf of Mexico sa Chenorynthetic comunities ore groups of crimels living in the deep seE (deeper then 300 m er 985 ft) an dissolved gaaes throogh a ymbiotic ascociatien with becteric living inside their tissuns The nost eye catching chemoayrithetic aninas in the Gulf ef Mexico are fubevorma (reaching 2mar 7 ft in length) and e variety of specier of mussels cnd clons that Eve off methane ond hydrogen sulfide. Tubevorma are thought ts be the langert-ved invertebrate crivals s eorth. Ovenesyathetic onivels ere renorkable because they ere the only large crimals thet use a carben source (feed) independent of photesysthesis and he sun-dependest photoaynthehic food chein, which supparts all other life on corth. Chenoryethetic camnunities in the Gult are usaally tound et depths ranging fram 400 m to 3.200 m (1,312 fto 10,000 ). Cremesynthetic tube worms ond nussels thrive on noturelly seeping ydrogen sutide ond methane in deepwoters et the Guf. U.G.Drpartmet of the Interior For copies of this parer cal 1-800-200-GULF lerret Site: WWW MMS.00v MMS 2006-003-P Gulf of Mexico Offshore Ouses Protected Marine Ecosystems The Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency within the Department of the Interior, protects the marine environment as part of its responsibility to manoge the mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (Ocs) in an environmentally sound and sofe manner. A number of stipulations protect the environment: the National Environmental Policy Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act address most human activities on the OCs. natural resource protection strategy. the MMS funds studies that document biogeochemical characteristics and processes, as well as critical biologiçal communities in the OCs. The MMS requires that industry prevent any impocts on sensitive habitats on the OCS. As part of its Ancient reets of the Pimocle Trend located eost of the Mississippi River delto ere home te fish, seo fons, soft corols. feather and basket stors, ond spenges Mississippi Alabama In the weitem Gur a ber ef rge seefloor ondi elso know as "repographic fectures rise obeve the sureunding maddy seefoor into open-scean weters. Meny af these seatioor noundr, loceted at the edge of the continental shelf, are home to umers Trepical plents and oils: fish, corels. cerslive elye. leety algee. sponges molunca, and echinodern The Flowar Gerden Berka, Stetsan Bank and Sonnier Senka ore eramples sf sach seefloor nounds treraformed by oninls end plets ite celortul trepicol reefs Louisiana Florida Nobl BIon Hard Bottom Feataru Houston Pinoacles Техаs Duolo Cayon The oinertel e he mot podetive ngion of the sceam and a coridened to eotand an the ho ta wa 20n ia dees Liaviatanu Patstu Floow Gardan lanks-Sonnier lanks These colerful scenes of trepicad underwater ife ot the Rewer Gerden Rarks n Stetson Bonk are exongles of thving roet conruntier on high-reliet barke along the thaf edge The area offahere from Stetson Ban Micsiesippi cnd Alobone is knewn 0s the Pienocle Trend. This is o unique festure within the 40m (130 ft) deph reef-type conaities e the edge of the shelf. Averoge height of the pinnacies is appraximately 10 m (33 f1) with some cecoeding 15 m (50 tt) Aherretypic carola, octocorala, crinoide, hydraidr, and spanger daminete the cammunitie. One of the eest inpartant contritetiens ef these features is to preeide hobitat for tumerous fishes commonly oisociated with hard-battan habitata in the Gulf of Meoca ca well a a variety of pelogie fah Canyon band ef subrmarine Chemosynmeto Zone range that support Pinnacles Chemcsyntherie Zane Chumssyntvetic Zaro Maalaalpal Gulf of Mexico sa Chenorynthetic comunities ore groups of crimels living in the deep seE (deeper then 300 m er 985 ft) an dissolved gaaes throogh a ymbiotic ascociatien with becteric living inside their tissuns The nost eye catching chemoayrithetic aninas in the Gulf ef Mexico are fubevorma (reaching 2mar 7 ft in length) and e variety of specier of mussels cnd clons that Eve off methane ond hydrogen sulfide. Tubevorma are thought ts be the langert-ved invertebrate crivals s eorth. Ovenesyathetic onivels ere renorkable because they ere the only large crimals thet use a carben source (feed) independent of photesysthesis and he sun-dependest photoaynthehic food chein, which supparts all other life on corth. Chenoryethetic camnunities in the Gult are usaally tound et depths ranging fram 400 m to 3.200 m (1,312 fto 10,000 ). Cremesynthetic tube worms ond nussels thrive on noturelly seeping ydrogen sutide ond methane in deepwoters et the Guf. U.G.Drpartmet of the Interior For copies of this parer cal 1-800-200-GULF lerret Site: WWW MMS.00v MMS 2006-003-P