Foreword -- Executive summary -- Acknowledgements -- Organizing committee -- Welcome and introduction -- Introduction to the forum -- Summary of scientific forum -- Panel 1. The geological setting -- Panel 2. The oceanographic setting -- Panel 3. Benthic characterizations -- Panel 4. Fish and fisheries characterization/spawing aggregations -- Panel 5. Existing legal structure/regulations in the Gulf of Mexico -- Panel 6. Connections with Mexico and the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef system -- Open discussion -- Attendee list -- Appendix A. HAPC and other habitat or area based regulations in the Gulf of Mexico.

Proceedings of a January 2008 conference convened to bring together scientists and managers from around the Gulf of Mexico to discuss a range of topics on their knowledge of the area, including its geology, its larger-scale connectivity to the Caribbean region, and applications to a more integrated approach to area-based management. Features 6 panels of experts who spoke on the oceanographic and biological features in the Gulf of Mexico, including connections with Mexico and the Mesoamerican barrier reef system, and the legal and regulatory structure currently in place. Report includes discussion of available science, connectivity, and the potential value of establishing a marine protected area network in the Gulf of Mexico.

NOAA General Documents
National Ocean Service (NOS)

Mexico, Gulf of