"The federal government has approved new protections for 500 square miles of deep-sea coral habitat in the Gulf of Mexico.

The protected areas are scattered across 13 reef and canyon sites from Texas to the Florida Keys that support an abundance of sea life, including snapper, grouper and other fish favored by commercial and recreational fishers.

The rules, approved Thursday (Oct. 15) by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, prohibit fishing with bottom tending nets and other gear, which can rip apart corals that have lived for hundreds of years."

Tristan Baurick reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune October 18, 2020. [2]