Exploration in the South Atlantic Bight: discovery of new resources with pharmaceutical potential

As part of the 2002 NOAA Ocean Exploration Islands in the Stream expedition, our objective was to explore novel sources of marine-derived chemicals that may be applied to the development of Pharmaceuticals. Virtually no drug discovery research has targeted the deep-water coral reef communities in this region, and in particular the microbial associates living in these communities. Some of the sites visited have never been dived on previously. This is the first documentation of these habitats and their biodiversity. During a total of 23 dives in the Johnson-Sea-Link II submersible, more than 200 benthic macrofauna and sediment samples were collected and analyzed. The abundance and diversity of sponges and octocorals were greater than expected from reports in the literature. Several new species or new records of occurrence of sponges and octocorals were discovered. Chemical profiles of extracts made from specimens of sponges and octocorals indicate that novel compounds are present in many of the samples. NOAA´s Ocean Explorer website and HBOI´s At-Sea website documented near real-time postings of essays, interviews, photographs, and video from mission scientists, crew, and educators, describing daily dive activities and discoveries. A Professional Development Institute was conducted to familizarize Florida educators with the Ocean Exploration program and curriculum.