 No funding for the project was requested by the U.S. President from the U.S. Congress in Fiscal Year 2016.The Experimental Oculina Research Reserve preserves the Oculina Banks, a reef of ivory bush coral ("Oculina varicosa") off the coast of Fort Pierce, Florida.In 1984, a 92 square-nautical-mile (316 km2) portion of these reefs was designated the "Oculina Habitat Area of Particular Concern".