Fishing boats are now banned from a deep-sea coral research site in Monterey Bay

The US government has closed a specific area in Monterey Bay to commercial fishing boats that use gear touching the ocean floor. This protects deep-sea coral research and restoration projects from being damaged by fishing equipment.

Scientists are trying to understand how deep-sea corals survive and grow. These corals are important for ocean ecosystems, but they are easily damaged by fishing gear. This rule means researchers can now conduct experiments and restore corals in this specific area without fear of their work being destroyed.