National marine sanctuary offices and visitor centers closed to the public; waters remain open

NOAA's Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary's office is closed to the public while the waters remain open for responsible use in accordance with CDC guidance and local regulations. Note, the mooring buoys are not currently being maintained and the sanctuary assumes no liability for use of the buoys. Once normal on-water activities are restored, we will resume buoy maintenance as soon as possible. More information on the response from NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries can be found on sanctuaries.noaa.gov/coronavirus/.

Parker Bank

Bottom Depth Range: 185-475 feet (56-145 meters)

Parker Bank harbors significant mesophotic habitat that is dominated by black corals, gorgonians, fish, sponges, algae and invertebrates. A large field of abundant Hypnogorgia gorgonians was encountered during ROV surveys, as well as high relief ridges providing plenty of habitat for fish and invertebrates.

Parker Bank is named after Frances L. Parker, an oceanographer from Scripps. This is the only significant bank in the region that is named after a woman.

A large white gorgonian with basket stars curled up in its branches — One of many *Hypnogorgia* gorgonians at Parker Bank

Two marbled groupers swimming over deep habitat interspersed with small black corals — A pair of Marbled Grouper at Parker Bank

Leafy green algae, bushy black corals and skinny white sea whips cover the sea floor along with a few sponges. Small reef fish school just above. — A large black coral at Parker Bank