The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary was designated as a national marine sanctuary on January 17, 1992. The sanctuary is located about 110 miles off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, and harbours the northernmost coral reefs in the United States and serves as a regional reservoir of shallow water Caribbean reef fishes and invertebrates. The coral reefs rise to within 66 feet of the surface. The area containing both the East and West Banks is 41.7 square nautical miles in size and contains 350 acres of reef crest. In October 1996, Congress expanded the sanctuary by adding a small third bank, Stetson Bank, located about 70 nautical miles south of Galveston, Texas. Environmental conditions at Stetson Bank do not support the establishment and growth of coral reefs.