Oculina Bank Fishing

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Oculina Bank is a natural coral reef that runs from Fort Pierce to Daytona starting at 17 miles offshore and runs to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean's Continental Shelf. This is a deep water reef is in 250 feet to 300 feet deep waters rising 65 feet off the ocean floor. What makes this reef unique and under the protection of many agencies is that is contains the rare deep-water inhabiting coral Oculina varicosa, the Ivory Tree Coral.

Source: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ explorations/ islands01/log/aug29/media/ oculina_varicosa.html

Deep water Oculina reefs are not known to exist anywhere else in the world except off the Atlantic coast of Florida. This slow growing delicate tree-like coral is very slow growing ? it took over a thousand years to create Florida's Oculina Bank! Oculina coral form mounds and pinnacles that are up to 100 feet tall and provide habitat for a wide variety of fish and invertebrates.

The reef is located directly under the Gulf Stream and is a breeding ground for Gag and Scamp Grouper along with 70 other species that call this reef home. Snowy and Warsaw grouper, as well as Black Sea Bass, Golden Tilefish, and Speckled Hind were abundant before the fishing industry took notice and targeted this fertile area.

A Snowy Grouper Photo Courtesy of NOAA

Recreational fishing and shrimp trawlers have caused significant habitat destruction of the fragile coral, in some areas literally stripping the coral to bare sea floor. 397 square nautical miles of Oculina Bank reef is now federally protected; this is the first deep water coral reef to be protected in the world.

In the year 2000 governmental agencies placed 105 reef balls around the area in order to provide habitat for fish and coral. In just over a year after deployment groupers, amberjacks, snappers, angelfish, butterfly fish and small basses had colonized the structures. Oculina coral was also found attached to the reef balls.

Anchoring and bottom fishing is prohibited to protect the fragile reefs but surface trolling for species such as dolphin, tuna, and sailfish is allowed since it poses no threat to the reefs. Visit our Special Marine Zones section for regulations.

Life On the Bottom

Oculina Bank Fishing Regulations Brochure

For more information on the restoration efforts visit NOAA's Ocean Explorer web page Exploring Oculina Bank.
For information on Oculina Coral visit the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
We also have the brochure for easier understanding of the Regulations for Deepwater Marine Protected Areas in the South Atlantic. This brochures also includes the other 3 federally protected MPA areas in Florida.