TABLE OF CONTENTS

Vol. 16, No. 2, December, 1998

DEDICATED ISSUE
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary

Foreword .  By Sylvia A. Earle............................................................................................................127

Introduction . By Stephen R. Gittings and Emma L. Hickerson, Guest Associate Editors........................128

High-Resolution Multibeam Bathymetry of East and West Flower Gardens and Stetson  Banks, Gulf of Mexico. By James V. Gardens, Larry A. Mayer, John E. Hughes Clarke, and Art Kleiner.........................131

Ecological Implications of Hydrography and Circulation to the Flower Garden Banks, Northwest Gulf of Mexico. By Alexis Lugo-Fernandez.....................................................................................................144

Reef Community Stability on the Flower Garden Banks, Northwest Gulf of Mexico. By Stephen R. Gittings
........................................................................................................................................................161

Timing, Species Participation and Environmental Factors Influencing Annual Mass Spawning at the Flower Garden Banks (Northwest Gulf of Mexico). By Derek K. Hagman, Stephen R. Gittings, and  Kenneth  J. P. Deslrzes...........................................................................................................................................170

Fertilization in Broadcast Spawning Corals of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. By Derek K. Hagman, Stephen R. Gittings, and Peter D. Vize...................................................................180

Variation on Morphology vs Conservation of a Mitochondrial Gene  in Montastraea cavernosa (Cnidaria, Scleractinia). By Tonya L. Snell, David W. Foltz, and Paul W. Sammarco..............................................188

An analysis of Fish Survey Data Generated by Nonexpert Volunteers in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. By Christy V. Pattengill-Semmens and Brice X. Sammarco.......................................196

Avian Analysis Diversity and Habitat Uses within the Flower Gardens Banks National Marine Sanctuary. By Jeff Childs........................................................................................................................................208
 

Short Papers and Notes

Spawning Observations of the Scleractinian Coral Colphylia natans in the Northwest Gulf of Mexico. By Gregory S. Boland.............................................................................................................................226

Nocturnal Mooring and Parking Behavior of Three Monacanthids (File-fishes) at an Offshore Production in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico. By Jeff Childs........................................................................................228

Commentary

Marine Protected Areas and Reserves are Vital Conservation Tools. By Amy Mathews Amos...................233

Balancing Resource Utilization with Resource Protection: The Flower Garden Banks Marine Sanctuary - A Success story. BY Robert Moran........................................................................................................234