16 USC 6402 – Federal coral reef management and restoration activities

(a) In general

The Administrator, the Secretary of the Interior, or the Secretary of Commerce may conduct activities described in subsection (b) to conserve and restore coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems that are consistent with—

(1) all applicable laws governing resource management in Federal and State waters, including this chapter;

(2) the National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy; and

(3) coral reef action plans in effect under section 6404 of this title, as applicable.

(b) Activities described

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Terms Used In 16 USC 6402

Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 1 USC 7
vessel: includes every description of watercraft or other artificial contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on water. See 1 USC 3

Activities described in this subsection are activities to conserve, research, monitor, assess, and restore coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems in waters managed under the jurisdiction of a Federal agency specified in subsection (c) or in coordination with a State in waters managed under the jurisdiction of such State, including—

(1) developing, including through the collection of requisite in situ and remotely sensed data, high-quality and digitized maps reflecting—

(A) current and historical live coral cover data;

(B) coral reef habitat quality data;

(C) priority areas for coral reef conservation to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function, including the reef matrix, that benefit coastal communities and living marine resources;

(D) priority areas for coral reef restoration to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function, including the reef matrix, to benefit coastal communities and living marine resources; and

(E) areas of concern that may require enhanced monitoring of coral health and cover;

(2) enhancing compliance with Federal laws that prohibit or regulate—

(A) the taking of coral products or species associated with coral reefs; or

(B) the use and management of coral reef ecosystems;

(3) long-term ecological monitoring of coral reef ecosystems;

(4) implementing species-specific recovery plans for listed coral species consistent with the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.);

(5) restoring degraded coral reef ecosystems;

(6) reducing land-based stressors to coral reef ecosystems;

(7) promoting ecologically sound navigation and anchorages, including through navigational aids and expansion of reef-safe anchorages and mooring buoy systems, to enhance recreational access while preventing or minimizing the likelihood of vessel impacts or other physical damage to coral reefs;

(8) monitoring and responding to severe bleaching or mortality events, disease outbreaks, invasive species outbreaks, and significant maritime accidents, including hazardous spill cleanup and the removal of grounded vessels;

(9) conducting scientific research that contributes to the understanding, sustainable use, and long-term conservation of coral reefs;

(10) enhancing public awareness, understanding, and appreciation of coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems and their ecological and socioeconomic value; and

(11) centrally archiving, managing, and distributing on a public website data sets and coral reef ecosystem assessments, including the data repositories of the Coral Reef Conservation Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.