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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 11 / Tuesday, January 19, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
6. Revise appendix B to subpart L to read as follows:

Appendix B to Subpart L of Part 922
Flower Garden Banks National Marine SanctuaryTerms of Designation Preamble Under the authority of title III of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, as amended the Act, 16 U.S.C. 1431
et seq., 19 separate unique polygon areas of ocean waters and the submerged lands thereunder, along the continental shelf and shelf edge in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, as described in Article II, are hereby designated as Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary for the purposes of protecting and managing the conservation, ecological, recreation, research, education, historic and aesthetic resources and qualities of these areas.

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Article IEffect of Designation The Act authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to issue such final regulations as are necessary and reasonable to implement the designation, including managing and protecting the conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, research, educational, and esthetic resources and qualities of a sanctuary. Section 1 of Article IV of this Designation Document lists those activities that may be regulated on the effective date of designation or at some later date in order to protect Sanctuary resources and qualities.
Thus, the act of designation empowers the Secretary of Commerce to regulate the activities listed in Section 1. Listing does not necessarily mean that an activity will be regulated. However, if an activity is not listed it may not be regulated, except on an emergency basis, unless Section 1 of Article IV is amended by the same procedures by which the original designation was made.
Article IIDescription of the Area The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Sanctuary boundary encompasses a total area of approximately 121 square nautical miles 160 square miles of offshore ocean waters, and submerged lands thereunder, along the continental shelf and shelf edge in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The entire sanctuary boundary is composed of 19 unique polygons. The precise boundary coordinates for each polygon are listed in appendix A to this subpart.
The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 1
begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 13 and contains the submerged feature of Stetson Bank with an area of approximately 1.1 square nautical miles 1.5
square miles, located approximately 71
nautical miles 82 miles south-southeast of Galveston, Texas. The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 2 begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 14 and contains the submerged feature of West Flower Garden Bank with an area of approximately 28.0
square nautical miles 37.1 square miles, located approximately 97 nautical miles 111
miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 3 begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to
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Point 16 and contains the submerged feature of Horseshoe Bank with an area of approximately 21.7 square nautical miles 28.7 square miles, located approximately 102 nautical miles 117 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 4 begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 12 and contains the submerged feature of East Flower Garden Bank with an area of approximately 21.0
square nautical miles 27.8 square miles, located approximately 101 nautical miles 116 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas.
The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 5 begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 12 and contains the submerged feature of MacNeil Bank with an area of approximately 2.1 square nautical miles 2.7
square miles, located approximately 103
nautical miles 118 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 6 begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 21 and contains the submerged features of Rankin Bank and 28 Fathom Bank with an area of approximately 4.2 square nautical miles 5.6
square miles, located approximately 109
nautical miles 126 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 7 begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 13 and contains the submerged features of Bright Bank with an area of approximately 5.8 square nautical miles 7.6 square miles, located approximately 115 nautical miles 133 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 8 begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 15 and contains the submerged feature of Geyer Bank within an area of approximately 8.7
square nautical miles 11.5 square miles, located approximately 126 nautical miles 145 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas.
The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 9A
begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 16 and contains part of the submerged feature of Elvers Bank within an area of approximately 3.3 square nautical miles 4.4 square miles, located approximately 134 nautical miles 154 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 9B begins at Point 1
and continues in numerical order to Point 7
and also contains part of the submerged feature of Elvers Bank within an area of approximately 0.1 square nautical miles 0.2
square miles, located approximately 133
nautical miles 153 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 10A begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 16 and contains part of the submerged feature of McGrail Bank with an area of approximately 3.4 square nautical miles 4.5 square miles, located approximately 142 nautical miles 163 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas.
The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 10B
begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 8 and also contains part of the submerged feature of McGrail Bank with an area of approximately 0.1 square nautical miles 0.2 square miles, located approximately 146 nautical miles 168 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 11 begins at Point 1
and continues in numerical order to Point 23

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and contains the submerged feature of Bouma Bank with an area of approximately 5.8
square nautical miles 7.7 square miles, located approximately 145 nautical miles 167 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas.
The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 12
begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 18 and contains the submerged feature of Sonnier Bank with an area of approximately 2.3 square nautical miles 3.1
square miles, located approximately 138
nautical miles 159 miles east-southeast of Galveston, Texas. The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 13 begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 12 and contains the submerged feature of Rezak Bank with an area of approximately 2.8
square nautical miles 3.7 square miles, located approximately 151 nautical miles 174 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas.
The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 14
begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 9 and contains the submerged feature of Sidner Bank with an area of approximately 1.5 square nautical miles 2.0
square miles, located approximately 153
nautical miles 177 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 15A begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 14 and contains part of the submerged feature of Parker Bank within an area of approximately 5.2 square nautical miles 6.8 square miles, located approximately 168 nautical miles 194 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas.
The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 15B
begins at Point 1 and continues in numerical order to Point 8 and also contains part of the submerged feature of Parker Bank within an area of approximately 0.1 square nautical miles 0.2 square miles, located approximately 171 nautical miles 197 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. The sanctuary boundary for Polygon 16 begins at Point 1
and continues in numerical order to Point 18
and contains the submerged feature of Alderdice Bank within an area of approximately 3.8 square nautical miles 5.0
square miles, located approximately 166
nautical miles 191 miles east-southeast of Galveston, Texas.
Article IIICharacteristics of Area That Give it Particular Value The Sanctuary contains a series of underwater features located along the edge of the continental shelf in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. These features are of interest from both a geological and biological perspective. Formed primarily as the result of the movement of underlying salt deposits also called salt domes or salt diapirs, and bathed by waters of tropical origin, they contain important geological features, biological habitats and other marine resources of national significance. They contain highly productive marine ecosystems that support a variety of fish and invertebrate communities of biological and economic importance.
The reefs and banks of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico are structurally complex and contain a range of marine habitats, including coral reefs, coralline algal reefs, algal nodule beds, mesophotic and deepwater reefs, and soft bottom communities. The composition,
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