June 1st is World Reef Day!

June is nationally recognized as World Oceans Month and today, June 1st, is World Reef Day! On World Reef Day, we celebrate the global influence of coral reefs. These incredible ecosystems provide habitat for an abundance of fish species and are foundational to a thriving ocean all over the world.

Corals support a food chain that supplies a food source for over half a billion global citizens and also attract many ecotourism operations, in total providing an estimated 375 billion dollars annually to the world economy. There are reefs scattered across the globe, but we also have one in our backyard. Today, the Conservation League celebrates South Carolina’s very own deep-sea coral mounds on the Blake Plateau.   

Situated only 60 miles off the South Carolina coast, the Blake Plateau provides the perfect home for deep-sea corals. At about 2,000 feet deep, the cold waters where the deep-sea corals are found maintain an ideal temperature, while the gulf stream brings plenty of food. This is why the Blake Plateau is considered the world’s largest deep-sea coral reef habitat, and is home to several coral “neighborhoods”, such as the Stetson-Richardson Complex and Central Blake Knolls.

South Carolina’s deep-sea coral mounds are incredibly special, even amongst habitat as unique as the Blake Plateau. Stetson-Richardson complex contains the tallest deep-sea coral mounds ever discovered, nearly as tall as the Washington Monument! Not only do these ancient structures tower over the sea floor, but they also provide vital habitat to deep-sea dwelling marine organisms.

Of course, we can’t talk about deep-sea corals without mentioning the benefits they provide to all levels of the water column! These corals act as a nutrient-factories, effectively processing decaying  microscopic organisms within the water column and in turn, producing useable nutrients to fuel the base of the food-chain at the surface. This surface food-web nourishes everything from important game fish – like swordfish, snapper, and mahi – to endangered sea turtles, elusive seabirds, and even charismatic whales.

Image Credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

While these fascinating, local coral neighborhoods were only discovered in the last decade, they seem to be doing better than their shallow-water cousins in the face of climate impacts. These ecosystems aren’t totally safe from ocean industrialization, though. Many conservation-focused organizations are beginning to raise awareness about these fragile habitats and requesting that this special place be federally protected from oil and gas leasing, bottom trawling, and deep-sea mining.

If you are interested in learning more about the deep-sea corals on World Reef Day, see our conservation page about deep-sea corals or visit Conserveblakeplateau.org.