Spill-zone coral appears healthy

Crabs, starfish, and other deep-sea creatures swarm in small patches of coral, and tiny sea anemones sprout from the sandlike miniature forests across a lunar-like landscape illuminated only by the lights of the sub.

Scientists are currently in the early stages of studying what effects, if any, BP PLC’s April 20 oil well blowout off Louisiana and the ensuing crude gusher has had on the delicate deep sea coral habitats of the northern Gulf.

So far, it appears the area dodged a bullet, but more research is needed. Some of the deep-sea coral near the spill site was discovered just last year.

“Originally, when we saw the trajectory for the oil spill and where it was going, we were very concerned that these habitats would be impacted,’’ said researcher Steve Ross of the Center for Marine Science at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Ross and others are conducting research from a Greenpeace ship in the Gulf, using a two-person sub as they work to determine if the coral has suffered damage, or may take a hit from long-term impacts, such as stunted reproduction rates.

“We thought certainly that . . . we would see signs of damage,’’ Ross said. “And we’re very pleased to say so far, that in these locations, we haven’t seen large-scale damage to the coral habitats. We’re still looking, but so far, it’s good.’’

Ross was part of a team of researchers that studied deep-sea coral in the Atlantic Ocean between North Carolina and Florida.

The research eventually helped lead to added federal protections for a roughly 23,000-square-mile network believed to be one of the largest continuous distributions of deepwater coral in the world.

Ross and others have now turned their attention to the gulf.

While fishermen have for centuries dragged up coral from the deep sea, it wasn’t until the early 1900s that scientists discovered these extensive cold-water reefs. And it wasn’t until the 1970s that researchers were able to use subs and cameras to reach the sea floor to document them. It had long been thought that coral reefs only formed in shallow, warm waters.