VIRTUAL SEASIDE CHAT TONIGHT: Learn what it took to remove 1,700 pounds of debris from the Flower Garden Banks 🪸

Houston – For six days last summer, a unique group of partners brought their skills and advanced technology together to help clean up the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

Working about 100 miles off the Texas coast and deeper than recreational divers can go, the team pulled 1,700 pounds of debris from the depths of the protected coral reef.

• RELATED CONTENT: Watch the KPRC 2 Special “Garden in the Gulf: A Reef Rescue Mission”

Tonight (Feb. 18), the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) team is hosting a Seaside Chat online to highlight that difficult marine debris removal work.

It’s part of the FREE annual speaker series about ocean conservation related to the Flower Garden Banks. The Seaside Chats started in 2012 and cover a range of topics almost every February, including sanctuary wildlife, research, expansions, shipwrecks, whale strandings, and ocean exploration.

• Calling all educators—you’ll receive continuing professional education (CPE) hours through these webinars. Contact flowergarden@noaa.gov for more information.

Starting at 6:30 p.m. CST, they will chat about the arduous process, including the people and gear that made it possible.

• Sign up for the webinar: Seaside Chats - Successful Partnerships: How to Remove 1,700 Pounds of Marine Debris from the Twilight Zone

The Flower Garden Banks is the only area in the Gulf that provides a sanctuary for diverse marine life, and this mission would not be possible with only one organization behind it. FGBMNS joined forces with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Moody Gardens, Georgia Aquarium, T&T Salvage LLC, and Anchor Diving and conducted the operation from June 27 to July 2, 2025.

For information about tonight’s and future Seaside Chats, visit flowergarden.noaa.gov/education/seasidechats.html

• Watch the KPRC 2 Special “Garden in the Gulf: A Reef Rescue Mission”