The region is one of the most productive areas for natural resources in the country. Over 90% of the U.S. oil and gas production occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, providing billions of dollars to the regional economy. Much of the economic activity in the Gulf Coast is dependent on or related to a healthy Gulf ecosystem.

The Gulf was increasingly important due to the role of the Mississippi River as the natural outlet for products from the region west of the Alleghenys. The United States secured this outlet through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.

Vast deposits of petroleum in this region make the Persian Gulf strategically important. Middle Eastern countries depend on the gulf for trade and for access to the Indian Ocean. All countries that consume oil from the region, including the U.S., have a vital interest in keeping the gulf open to shipping.

Twenty-one species of dolphins and whales live in the Gulf of Mexico, and there could be as a many as 500 killer whales in the Gulf of Mexico, which is a relatively small population, said Randall Davis, professor of Marine Biology at Texas A&M University at Galveston.

1. Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) We typically think of orcas living in colder climates, but about 500 orcas live in the Gulf of Mexico where they feed on tuna and even dolphins in the Gulf’s deep waters, typically far from land.

Lionfish. Widely established along the East Coast, Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico, these showy swimmers are lovely to look at but tricky to touch. The lionfish’s spines deliver a venomous sting that can cause extreme pain, sweating, respiratory distress, and even paralysis.

Sigsbee Deep

The Gulf of Mexico is a unique, semi-enclosed sea located between the Yucatan and Florida peninsulas, at the southeast shores of the United States. The Gulf of Mexico borders five of the 50 United States (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas), and also Cuba and the eastern part of Mexico.