Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary — Horseshoe Bank (Gulf of Mexico)

Spearfishing is prohibited on Horseshoe Bank, between the two Flower Garden Banks; it became a sanctuary unit in the January 2021 expansion (86 FR 4953). Inside Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary 15 CFR 922.122(a)(8) allows fish to be taken only "by use of conventional hook and line gear", and 922.122(a)(10) prohibits possessing or using any other fishing gear in the Sanctuary except while possessing it "while passing without interruption through it". Spearguns, pole spears and Hawaiian slings are therefore illegal to use here, and may only be carried through the Sanctuary in uninterrupted transit.