New rule protects Alaska coral

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Alaska’s rare coral gardens will be protected under a new federal rule setting large areas of the sea floor off-limits to bottom trawling.

The new rule protects 370,000 square miles of ocean floor from bottom trawling, making it the largest protected marine habitat in the United States. The rule takes effect July 28.

Under the rule, more than 320,000 square miles in the Aleutian Islands – or an area approximately the size of Texas and Colorado combined – will be protected from bottom trawling. The other 50,000 square miles are in the Gulf of Alaska.

The ocean floor being protected includes six small areas, totaling just 126 square miles, where federal scientists in 2002 discovered coral gardens scattered along the Aleutian chain.

The cold water coral gardens, similar to those found in the tropics, have been observed nowhere else, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“This is the first time something like this has been found so far north,” Jon Kurland, NOAA’s assistant regional administrator for habitat conservation, said Thursday. “What was very unusual here was having so many different species growing together in one space, almost like a garden.”

Once disturbed by fishing gear, the cold water corals are slow to recover.

The rule, adopted by NOAA Fisheries, stems from a lawsuit filed by environmental groups in 2000, said Jim Ayers, vice president of Oceana, the main plaintiff. The discovery of the coral gardens strengthened their case, he said.

“Here is this beautiful animal performing this incredible function on the sea floor that takes hundreds of years to grow and develop and can be destroyed instantly by these bottom trawls,” Ayers said.

In the Gulf of Alaska, 10 areas along the continental shelf will be closed to bottom trawling to protect hard ocean bottom that may be important to rockfish.

Five small areas in Southeast Alaska also will be closed to bottom contact with fishing gear to protect dense thickets of red tree corals. Another 15 areas offshore will be closed to bottom fishing to protect seamounts, which are underwater peaks that provide important habitat to animals living at varying depths.

While describing the rule as “tremendous,” Ayers said 40 percent to 50 percent of coral areas in Alaska are still open to bottom trawling.

Environmentalists had long warned that coral beds, sponge gardens and seamounts will be ruined without more protection from bottom trawlers. The trawlers, many of them out of Seattle, scrape the ocean floor with weighted nets in search of species including Pacific cod, Atka mackerel, black rockfish and some flatfish.

Bottom trawling is already off-limits over more than 100,000 square miles in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea.

The rules were not expected to do major harm to the commercial fishing industry because most of Alaska’s billion-dollar bottom-fish harvest occurs on the continental shelf spanning the Bering Sea.

However, the rule will have a large impact on the bottom trawlers that works the Aleutians, said Dave Benton, executive director of the Marine Conservation Alliance, which represents about 80 percent of groundfish and shellfish harvesting in Alaska.

Trawlers in the Gulf of Alaska will be far less affected, he said.

The alliance worked with NOAA and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to distinguish the areas that needed to be protected, Benton said. Skippers got out their maps and provided information on where they fished and where they knew there were corals.

Benton said the fleet, for the most part, was already steering clear of the corals.

“We recognize it will cause the fleet some difficulties,” Benton said. “On the other hand, we recognize you have to protect important habitat.”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

Everett mayor candidates focus on affordability, city budget in costly race

As incumbent Cassie Franklin seeks a third term in office, three candidates are looking to unseat her.

Everett
Judge sentences man, 73, for intending to have sex with ‘teen’ in Everett

The Arizona man sent explicit images to an agent posing as a 13-year-old. Investigators found images of child sexual abuse on his phone.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

State’s draft of climate action plan open for public comment

Residents can submit public comments or climate-related stories online through Aug. 22.

The Edmonds School Board discusses budget cuts during a school board meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds school board approves 2025-26 budget

After facing an estimated $8.5 million shortfall earlier in the year, the board passed a balanced budget Tuesday.

A wall diagram shows the “journey of the ballot” at the new Elections Center on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County Auditor: No need for feds to meddle with state or local elections

Garth Fell’s comments were in response to a report of Justice Department mulling criminal charges against election officials.

Edmonds Police Chief Loi Dawkins speaks after the city council approved her appointment on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds City Council confirms new police chief

Assistant Chief Loi Dawkins will begin in the role Aug. 1. She has more than 23 years of law enforcement experience, including three years in Edmonds.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.