WHAT ARE CORALS?

Corals, sponges, and other animals that provide living structure to the seabed are essential to the diverse, complex ecology of the seafloor. Widely distributed from the Bering Sea to California, Pacific deep sea corals are found at depths of 100 to 10,000 feet in areas of rich nutrient flow along the Pacific shelf and slope. They are among the oldest living animals on the planet.

Individual corals, or polyps, grow together to form colonies. Corals support themselves by capturing small food particles with nematocysts, which are like tiny harpoons. Colonies of polyps share food among themselves, which allows the colony to grow higher into currents to get more food. Some coral gardens contain more than one hundred species of corals and sponges. Setting the ecosystem foundation, these complex structures support areas of the notable biodiversity on the Pacific coast.

Juvenile crabs and basket stars adorn bubblegum coral

Corals are literally the cradle of life for the oceans. On the ocean floor, corals provide marine lifeforms shelter, protection from strong currents and predators, nurseries for juveniles, and areas for feeding, spawning, resting, and breeding.

These rich habitats take hundreds of years to develop. Deep sea coral and sponge populations grow at extremely slow rates and are particularly sensitive to disturbance. These minute animals can live for centuries and congregate in spectacular colonies towering up to ten feet tall; yet they advance at a rate of only half an inch each year.

Large, fragile Gorgonian coral off Sitka, AK. Courtesy Victoria O'Connell (ADF&G)

Recent studies revealed lush deep sea gardens that have biodiversity equalling that of many tropical reefs. These same studies revealed irreparable damage to the coral habitat by the indiscriminate fishing practice of bottom trawling, which essentially strip mines the seafloor, destroying nearly everything in its path.

Oceana's Approach to protect living seafloor habitat uses science and law and an open public process to engage policymakers, the press, and the public to protect and preserve this essential seafloor habitat while maintaining vibrant fisheries for sustainable oceans.