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This rulemaking action would identify and protect specific areas of coral essential fish habitat in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). This rulemaking would implement a recommendation of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to establish 21 new coral habitat areas of particular concern (HAPC) in the Gulf--totaling about 372 nautical miles squared or roughly .2 percent of Gulf waters. In 13 of these areas--where waters are extremely deep and fishing activity is sparse--the deployment of specified bottom tending fishing gear would be prohibited. There would be no prohibition on the deployment of fishing gear in the other eight areas. The action would also add a prohibition on the deployment of dredge fishing gear in 3 of the existing Gulf HAPCs in which other bottom tending gear is prohibited. This would be consistent with the prohibition proposed for the 13 new HAPCs with gear prohibitions as well as the current regulatory prohibitions recommended by the Council and implemented by NMFS in four existing HAPCs.