feet deep. The East Flower Garden structure is very similar, although smaller and more circular in shape, averaging about 3 miles in horizontal extent (Fig. 28). The flourishing coral reefs which cap these two banks are presently considered to be the northernmost thriving tropical shallow water coral reefs on the eastern coast of North America. They are apparently part of a discontinuous arc of thriving coral reefs and isolated hermatypic (reef-building) coral heads that ring the Gulf of Mexico harboring elements of the Caribbean reef fauna. Other hard banks in the northern Gulf (notably Stetson Bank and Three Hickey Rock) support coral type communities, but the corals are ahermatypic (nonreef-building), being mainly soft corals and hard encrusting milleporan type (fire coral). The Florida Middle Ground is reported to harbor isolated heads of hermatypic corals, but the development and concentration of heads does not justify calling the area a well-developed coral reef. The West Flower Garden reef has been extensively studied in the last three years, both from geological and biological standpoints. The live reef occupies approximately 100 acres of bottom area, and extends from approximately 60 feet at its crest to 120-150 feet at its base. The corals, growing in heads up to 10 feet in height and diameter, dominate and structure the community, covering 35-45% of Eighteen species of corals (see Attachment F.) have been identifed, the most prevalent being Montastrea annularis, M. cavernosa, the bottom. |