Monitoring at East and West Flower Garden Banks: 2022 Annual Report

This report summarizes fish and benthic community observations and water quality data collected from East Flower Garden Bank (EFGB) and West Flower Garden Bank (WFGB) in 2022, along with 33 years of historical monitoring data. EFGB and WFGB are part of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS), located in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The annual long-term monitoring program began in 1989 and is funded by FGBNMS and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, with support from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. In 2022, mean coral cover was 54% within the EFGB one-hectare study site and 57% within the WFGB one-hectare study site. Mean macroalgae cover was 29% within the EFGB study site and 37% within the WFGB study site. Since 1989, mean coral cover has increased significantly at WFGB and remained stable at EFGB. Mean macroalgae cover has increased significantly at both banks since 1999. Mean coral cover within repetitive photostations has increased significantly since 1989 at both banks. The Orbicella spp. complex, listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, accounted for the majority of the coral cover within the study sites. Reef-wide stratified random photo transects were added to the monitoring program in 2022, but more data are needed for a trend analysis. The reef fish community was comprised primarily of the families Labridae and Pomacentridae. Biomass was uniformly distributed between large and small individuals, and piscivores had the greatest mean biomass at both EFGB and WFGB. No manta rays, non-native regal demoiselles, or invasive lionfish were observed in the reef visual census surveys; however, they were documented within the sanctuary on other research expeditions in 2022. During 2022, water temperatures did not exceed 30 °C and coral bleaching at both banks was less than 2% at the time of surveys. A significant monotonic increasing trend in seawater temperature was detected at both banks from 1990 to 2022, indicating ocean temperatures have risen at FGBNMS over the past three decades. The results of this report highlight the importance of long-term monitoring efforts by providing one of the longest records of coral reef health in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean region.

Key Words

benthic community, coral ecosystem, coral reef, fish community, long-term monitoring, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, Gulf of Mexico, marine protected area, water quality, coral disease