Faculty Emeritus

John Reed was recently awarded the rank of Faculty Emeritus at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. With a career spanning nearly 50 years, Reed is a pioneer of coral reef research and conservation.

Reed first encountered the remarkable Oculina deep coral reefs in 1976, about a year after their scientific discovery. These delicate, white towers lie hidden 200 to 300 feet below the surface, 16 to 50 miles off Florida’s Atlantic Coast. Though shrouded in darkness, compared to its near-surface coral cousins, Oculina varicosa , or ivory tree coral, provides habitat for an abundant diversity of life. Thousands of species of invertebrates like worms, sponges, brittle stars, crabs, shrimp and mollusks - plus prized gamefish predators like gag and scamp grouper, snapper and amberjack – call the Oculina reef home.

Reed discovered that the high-relief, bush-like Oculina structures occur only along the edge of the continental shelf of Eastern Florida - from Fort Pierce to Daytona Beach - and apparently nowhere else in the world. His explorations also uncovered evidence of intense destruction, where the Oculina was reduced to rubble by bottom trawlers, huge fishing nets that scrape along the ocean floor. A once-vibrant ecosystem developed over thousands of years was eviscerated in a matter of minutes.

Reed dedicated his career to studying these and other deep-water reefs, sharing his findings with governments, policymakers, advocacy groups and the general public. His groundbreaking work and outreach efforts resulted first in the establishment of the Oculina Bank Habitat Area of Particular Concern in 1984 followed a decade later by more stringent protections as the Oculina Coral Marine Protected Area - the first in the world to protect deep-water coral. Outside of the protected area, however, the destruction of the reef continued. Reed’s longitudinal footage of the reef from the 1970’s through the early 2000’s proved that these ancient coral colonies were being destroyed by human actions. The Oculina Habitat Area of Particular Concern was extended to 300 square miles, protecting the majority of the known deep-water reefs.

“John’s passion for research and exploration of coral reefs, and his conservation efforts to protect these critical habitats was - and is - truly astounding and an inspiration to all scientists,” said James M. Sullivan, Ph.D., executive director of FAU Harbor Branch.

Today, Reed continues his work as a coral reef scientist and advocate. He is principal investigator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research and Technology. The research collective has three main areas of focus:

• Exploration of the Eastern U.S. continental shelf
• Improving understanding of vulnerable sponge and coral ecosystems
• Developing advanced underwater technologies

Reed’s legacy of deep-sea exploration also lives on in the Marine Biomedical and Biotechnology Research program at FAU Harbor Branch, which is home to an extensive natural products library comprised of samples taken from thousands of scientific dives, many of which were led by Reed.