INTRODUCTION 



The purpose of this report is to determine the density 

 and distribution of the coral and epibenthic fauna of the 

 eastern United States continental margin. This was accom- 

 plished by reviewing all available submersible photographs 

 taken within the study area and comparing the results to 

 published literature. Special emphasis was placed on the 

 epibenthic communities found in submarine canyons. Study of 

 canyon habitats is particularly important in assessing the 

 impact of future development of resources on the continental 

 shelf, because canyons have been implicated as conduits for 

 the channeling of materials from the shelf to the deep ocean 

 (Rowe, 1972). Thus, a thorough understanding of canyon 

 habitats and their fauna is potentially important in under- 

 standing the farther ranging impact of resource exploitation 

 on the shelf. 



The most striking feature of the continental margin of 

 the eastern United States is that it is incised by dozens of 

 submarine canyons. Most of these canyons are rather minor 

 topographic features, but several, such as Hudson Canyon, 

 occupy an extensive geographic area and are deeply incised. 

 These canyons are the result of extensive denudation of 

 Tertiary and early Cretaceous sediments which occurred 

 primarily during the Pleistocene. 



