Protecting America's Gulf Coast

Protecting America’s Gulf Coast The discovery of oil and gas deposits along the coast and offshore, combined with easy access to shipping, have made the Gulf Coast the heart of the U.S. petrochemical industry. The coast contains nearly 4,000 oil platforms .

The Gulf Coast of the United States is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and these are known as the Gulf States.

As the U.S. population continued to expand its frontiers westward, the Gulf Coast was a natural magnet in the South providing access to shipping lanes and both national and international commerce. The development of sugar and cotton production (enabled by slavery) allowed the South to prosper. Protecting America’s Gulf Coast The Coast Guard’s Work Near You (Districts and News) The Coast Guard’s units, vessels and aircraft are permanently deployed in the communities we serve. Our unique role as the only armed service in the Department of Homeland Security give us both civilian and military responsibilities.

Through sound science, policy leadership, and habitat conservation and restoration, Audubon and our partners are protecting and revitalizing ecosystems battered by natural and human-made disasters.  Audubon is committed to restoring the Gulf of Mexico by focusing on priority habitats for these and other species. These species represent at least 300 other species and the ecosystem on which they depend.

Gulf of Mexico regional ecosystem