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The
NewsRoom
Release: #3214
Date: December 13, 2004
Florida
Company Awarded Contract for Monitoring
Health of Flower Garden Banks
The Minerals Management Service,
in partnership with the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary,
has awarded a contract to continue monitoring the health of the East
and West Flower Garden Banks coral reef communities in the
northwestern Gulf of Mexico for another two years. This $400,000
contract was awarded to PBS& J Ecological Sciences, located in Miami,
Florida.
The monitoring effort will assess the health of the
coral reefs, evaluate changes in coral population levels, measure
coral and algae cover and growth rates, and investigate other
community characteristics. The program will address concerns related
to both gradual and punctuated degradation of these offshore
ecosystems. Such data are useful in assessing the impacts of
industrial activities and are valuable for resource management.
MMS continues its stewardship of the
Flower Garden Banks,
which was designated a marine sanctuary in 1992. In
addition to the ongoing monitoring program, MMS has worked closely
with the sanctuary manager on dive programs, facilitating seismic
development agreements, oil spill response drills, pipeline sitings,
and on advisory boards.
In 1994, the Flower Garden Banks National Marine
Sanctuary program recognized MMS for more than 20 years of commitment
to resource protection, funding of surveys, and supporting research at
the Flower Gardens. MMS and the National Oceanographic and
Atmospheric Administration look forward to continuing this long record
of productive environmental concern and cooperation in protecting and
preserving the valuable natural resources at the Flower Garden Banks.
The
Minerals Management Service is the federal bureau in the U.S.
Department of the Interior that manages the nation’s oil, natural gas
and other mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in
federal offshore waters. Currently, about 30 percent of the oil and
23 percent of the gas produced domestically comes from these federal
waters. The bureau also collects, accounts for, and disburses mineral
revenues from Federal and American Indian lands. MMS
disbursed approximately $8 billion in Fiscal Year 2004 and more than
$143 billion since it was created in 1982. Nearly $1 billion from
those revenues go into the Land and Water Conservation Fund annually
for the acquisition and development of state and federal park and
recreation lands.
Relevant Web Sites:
MMS Main Website
Gulf of Mexico Website
Media Contacts:
Debra Winbush (504)
736-2597
Caryl Fagot (504)
736-2590
MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for
America
U.S. Department of the Interior
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