Pulley Ridge
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Pulley Ridge is located in the southern Gulf of Mexico, 100 miles west of Key West and is the deepest light-dependant coral reef in the United States. Pulley Ridge was not discovered until 1999 due to it's depth of 180 to 275 feet and it's remoteness in the center of the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico. The ridge is believed to be a submerged island from millions of years ago.
Coral grows through the process of photosynthesis and that is the reason most coral reefs are shallow. Pulley Ridge is unusual because the sun barely reaches it's great depths; it is like dusk during the sunniest part of any day. And what is most significant is that the corals are healthier than any shallow coral reef with no evidence of bleaching or ill health.
Fishing Pulley Ridge 
This area is protected by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council which prohibits anchoring in this large area. 60 species of fishes have been identified that inhabit Pulley Ridge. You are allowed to fish by drifting or hook and line fishing. Here is the exact text from the Gulf Council:
? Pulley Ridge HAPC - Fishing with a bottom longline, bottom trawl, buoy gear, pot, or trap and bottom anchoring by fishing vessels are prohibited year-round.
You can catch Snowy Grouper, Speckle Hind Grouper (picture to the right), huge Red Grouper, Scamp, Golden Tile, AJ's, Hog Snappers to say a few of the healthy fish that inhabit this deep ridge. Just to the west of Pully Ridge is a sink hole with large rock walls and undercuts that holds large schools of Greater Amberjack, Red Porgy, Blueline Tilefish, Snowy Grouper, Speckled Hind, Warsaw and Yellowedge Snapper. If you venture even further to the west of the ridge near the shelf edge in waters over 500 feet you can fish for Queen Snappers which are not caught very often in the Gulf of Mexico. View the Fishes of Pulley Ridge on GMFMC's website and see some exotics that inhabit this remote site.
More Information
- Coral Reef Off Florida Determined to be Deepest Known on U.S. Continental Shelf
- USGS Researchers Lead a Collaborative Effort for Further Investigation of the Deep Coral Reef at Pulley Ridge
- For more info on fishing Pulley Ridge see Recreational Fishing Regulations for Federal Waters on the Gulf of Mexico.