GM-20-02-Data Gap: Characterizing the Seafloor in the Mesophotic Zone

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The seafloor in the mesophotic zone (40–150 m) represents an area where BOEM lacks sufficient scientific information to confidently render management decisions that are not overly burdensome. The Bureau has a clear need to characterize seafloor features, including shipwrecks, hard-bottom habitat, and pinnacles, and their ecological role to develop proper management and avoidance strategies based upon their ecological community structures. Shipwrecks provide a hard, artificial substrate for colonizing organisms and provide shelter from predation for a diverse array of marine life. The aim of this study is to document each selected shipwreck site and compare recruitment and community structure between these unique artificial reefs (shipwrecks) and natural reefs in order to provide insight into the colonization and role of shipwrecks as habitat. This study will strategically target shipwreck locations (artificial reefs) with known nearby naturally-occurring hard-bottom benthic communities.

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