Deep Coral Happenings on Capitol Hill

Of course, it's not a state, really, in the Nunavut sense of the word. This is a federal deep-sea coral report prepared by NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program to address the status of our knowledge about deep corals and the capacity of our federal government to manage deep coral habitat.

The "State of Deep Coral Ecosystems..." report was commissioned, in effect, by the President's Ocean Action Plan, so we take it seriously here at DSN. Seriously. It's a comprehensive, peer- reviewed report called for the President of the United States, written by a a dozen deep-sea biologists. How cool is that? I hope he reads it. We should ask Sylvia Earle to plant a copy on him next time they go for dinner. Maybe ship a box to the Congress.

In a sense, this report will be guiding our deep-coral research and management priorities for the next several years, given the budget demands. Your university can use this document to lobby your elected officials and state representatives. The word on the street in Washington is that this is a beautiful, full-color, glossy publication, just perfect for illustrating the living beauty of these fragile ecosystems.