The Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) restoration projects have made substantial progress to identify key areas for restoration and develop techniques to address the complex injury to seafloor habitats from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group is evaluating a five-year continuation of previously approved activities to build on the robust capacity gained by the MDBC projects since their implementation phase began in 2022.
Although the Trustees initially proposed a supplement to Restoration Plan 2 and Environmental Assessment, after further review with the MDBC project managers and subject matter experts, it became apparent that a continuation of currently-approved restoration activities would be the most efficient way to meet our restoration goals and a supplemental restoration plan is not needed at this time. This path capitalizes on the partnerships, field infrastructure, and momentum developed by the MDBC projects during the current implementation phase and represents the most efficient use of restoration funds.
Through a Resolution, the Trustees approved a five-year extension and budget increase of $12,500,000 for the MDBC Habitat Assessment and Evaluation project. With this extension, the project will continue its critical work to collect and analyze data to assess seafloor habitats, monitor baseline conditions, and evaluate direct restoration and protection activities. The Trustees are conducting a similar review of each of the other three MDBC projects to evaluate an extension and increase in budget to continue their restoration activities. The Trustees’ reviews follow procedures for project changes outlined in the Deepwater Horizon Trustee Council Standard Operation Procedures. The Trustees’ project reviews and any approved modifications will be shared via the Trustees’ website.
More Information and Past Materials
For more information about the MDBC projects, please see materials from the MDBC May 6, 2025 webinar and look for an announcement soon for the 2026 webinar. The MDBC projects have held annual public webinars since 2021; prior meeting materials can be accessed on the Open Ocean Story Archive on the Trustees’ website. More details on the projects are available at the links below:
- Active Management and Protection
- Coral Propagation Technique Development
- Habitat Assessment and Evaluation
- Mapping, Ground-truthing, and Predictive Habitat Modeling
Additional information about field expeditions is available on the MDBC StoryMap.
Please contact us at openocean.TIG@noaa.gov with any questions.