An interactive mapper tool is now available for stakeholders and managers to explore the areas that have been proposed for protection as part of the Mid-Atlantic Council’s Deep Sea Corals Amendment. The mapper, which can be viewed at www.mafmc.org/coral-map, was developed by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) in consultation with the Council.
The interactive mapper allows users to view the specific areas that have been proposed for designation as broad deep sea coral zones, which are large, mostly unfished and unexplored areas, as well as discrete deep sea coral zones, which are smaller areas of known coral presence or highly likely coral habitat. The mapper also includes options to view other types of relevant data, such as scup and tilefish closure areas and areas where deep water corals have been observed or predicted.
Additional details and instructions are available on the Deep Sea Corals Interactive Mapper page.