Description

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This management plan is organized into six sections. Section 1 provides background information on national marine sanctuaries, FGBNMS, and the purpose and need for updating the management plan. Section 2 is an overview of the institutional setting in which the sanctuary operates and of the regional ecosystem of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. It also describes the local environment of East and West Flower Garden Banks and Stetson Bank. Section 3 contains the action plans, which detail the management strategies and activities to address the priority issues of FGBNMS and meet the purposes and policies of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) (Appendix I). Section 4 provides information on the public comments received on the draft management plan and a summary of the changes that were made to the management plan as a result. Section 5 provides a summary of the environmental analysis of the two alternatives considered: 1) no action, and 2) the preferred alternative of revising the management plan and making modifications to FGBNMS regulations (Appendix II). Section 6 lists the sources cited in this document.