Understanding the factors that determine where mesophotic reefs are located and distances over which species living within such environments disperse and therefore 'connect' populations are of great interest to marine scientists and resource managers alike.

[3] In 2002, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council through NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program funded an expedition to examine the habitat and fish fauna on Pulley Ridge.

The aim of this mission was to collect primary data and biological samples and to document marine life through still photographs and video[3] The expedition was done at depths ranging from 200 to 260 feet.

[3] In 2011,[6] NOAA funded an ambitious project to fill the knowledge gaps on connectivity between Pulley Ridge and other reef systems throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Keys.

The project involves 35 scientists from 11 different institutions, working on everything from tracking plankton diversity and abundance to studies of the seabed and the use of habitat by economically important fish species.

The project focuses on genetic studies to evaluate connectivity among populations of reef species, as well as describing the structure and determining the economic value of Pulley Ridge's mesophotic communities.