#CoralsWeek Vital seafloor habitats were damaged by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. @NOAA and partners are building a network of experts and resources to restore this underexplored area in the Gulf of Mexico. See how: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/habitat-conservation/mesophotic-and-deep-benthic-communities-restoration Link in bio. 📸 Photo 1: Mesophotic corals and crinoids on Bright Bank, near the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Credit: Marine Applied Research and Exploration, NOAA 📸 Photo 2: Fragments of the sea fan Swiftia exerta collected in the Gulf of Mexico in June 2022. The fragments are arranged in photogrammetry carousels for growth monitoring at the NOAA Hollings Marine Laboratory. Credit: NOAA