Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary — Rankin Bank and 28 Fathom Bank (Gulf of Mexico)

Spearfishing is prohibited on Rankin Bank and 28 Fathom Bank, two adjoining banks enclosed in a single sanctuary polygon (polygon 6 of appendix A), added by the January 2021 expansion rule. 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.