NOAA's Undersea Research Program - NURP
This story entered on 3rd Feb, 2003 07:00:00 AM PST

A workshop was held on January 16 and 17, 2003 in Galway, Ireland as part of an on-going collaboration between NOAA and the Irish Marine Institute. The workshop brought together leading experts from the United States, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Ireland to begin formulating an International Deep-Sea Coral Action Plan. The international scientists participated in the workshop due to a shared responsibility to urgently address mounting concerns over the pace with which coral habitats (many of which have existed for 1000s of years) are being lost. They have begun a process to identify and prioritize the research required to unlock the secret of these ecosystems and to underpin international conservation initiatives required to ensure the long-term viability of these ecosystems.

This workshop was successfully organized by NOAA Fisheries (Office of Science and Technology) and NOAA Research (NOAA's Undersea Research Program and the Office of Ocean Exploration).

A special article was published regarding the Cold Water Corals Workshop in Science (January 10, 2003, volume 299, page 195). To see the article, click on the link below.

More information:
http://www.nurp.noaa.gov/Attachments/science_article_011003.pdf

Contact information
Name: Kimberly Puglise
kimberly.puglise@noaa.gov