Gray’s Reef council votes for Blake Plateau coral protection resolution

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) -The Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council voted to pass a resolution aimed at further protections for the Blake Plateau, which hosts the largest deep sea coral reef habitat in the world and is located 80 miles off our coast.

The critical reef was mostly left alone for thousands of years, but now faces threats such as oil development, deep sea mining, and commercial fishing. Without conservation measures, the plateau hosting tens of thousands of deep-sea coral neighborhoods could be lost forever, harming the entire region’s fish and wildlife.

Despite its diverse marine wildlife, the southeast has some of the least marine protections, with only one percent of its waters having safeguards.

The resolution passing sets up a discussion for Gray’s Reef to include the Blake Plateau as part of a new management action plan.

“What we did today was pass a resolution that hopefully will stimulate further conversation and discussion about the importance of the Blake Plateau and also the best ways to protect this really incredible resource,” said Russell Kent, chair of the Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council.

“Corals can be very vulnerable to disturbance and change. And so, you want to make sure you put protections in place at the start because you can’t fix these things after they’re harmed,” said Allison Chase, marine policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

As for what’s next, the resolution will work its way up to officials at NOAA and the secretary of commerce as the council works on a path forward.