Benthic Habitats of Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary

Gray’s Reef was designated as a National Marine Sanctuary in 1981. It encompasses a 58 km2 area of sand and rock bottom located 27 km off the coast of Georgia. It was selected as a Sanctuary in part due to the complex mosaic of habitats in the area including sand plains, caves, scarps, and rocky overhangs (figure 1) which support a diverse assemblage of organisms including approximately 150 species of fish, 200 species of invertebrates, and 65 species of seaweed. Despite a wealth of investigations on the natural resources of the biota and benthic features of Gray’s Reef, only coarse benthic maps of the area have been produced (e.g. Hunt, 1974 below). 2003 NOS (National Ocean Service) Library Public Domain 1936