Digital Video taken during the 3-person submersible Clelia dive 621 of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration's Islands in the Stream 2001 cruise, September 05, 2001 (NCEI Accession 0039428)

Leg One of this mission, lasting from August 29 to September 7, visited the Oculina Bank, situated 30 km (18 mi) east of the northern Florida coast. Oculina Bank was the first deep-water site in federal waters off the U.S. Eastern Seaboard to be closed to fishing. Once, this area was covered with dense thickets of the ivory tree coral, Oculina varicosa, which provided excellent habitat for reef fish, such as grouper and wreckfish, and feeding grounds for migratory pelagic (deep-sea) species.

However, fishing activities destroyed approximately two-thirds of the bank. A fragile and slow-growing coral, deep-water Oculina only grows about one--half inch per year. These and other damaged coral reefs will take many years, even decades, to recover.

To aid in the recovery process, a significant portion of the area was closed to fishing in 1994. NOAA has since funded efforts to assess the banks and to attempt to restore the damaged areas. In July 2000, the National Marine Fisheries Service approved plans to expand the protected area, with the goal of saving the remaining ivory tree coral.

Much of the protected area is deeper than 100 m (328 ft), rugged, and can only be studied using advanced undersea technologies. The mission will use the HBOI submersible Clelia and an ROV to study the recovery of the reserve. In addition to habitat characterization work, visual observations of artificial-reef restoration structures deployed on the banks beginning in 1995 will help to determine species' rates of recruitment.

Scientists will also test a hydrophone array to determine its utility for monitoring grouper spawning.