Reef Relief Coral Nursery Project Mission

Video
Inspect damaged area of reef (west end). Identify location for the nursery.

A video reconnaissance dive was carried out on the western end of Western Sambo reef the day before the volunteer team was scheduled to work. A one hour video was recorded of the area to document the overall condition of the reef in this area. There were many coral fragments in need of stabilization as well as some larger boulder corals that were turned over by the storm and in need of righting. It was clear that many of the coral fragments had been covered and uncovered by the shifting sand and were slowly dying from sedimentation. Many fragments did not look as brilliantly colored as they had six weeks earlier and some showed signs of elevated stress by turning white, as though they were bleaching. One of the priorities for the dive team would be to select pieces that appeared healthy and free from disease. This dive also reinforced our belief that the water was still too rough for the cementing process.

Video
Select at-risk fragments of Elkhorn coral and stabilize them to the concrete pads with plastic wire ties.

The first phase of stabilizing the Elkhorn fragments began. The first team of volunteers consisted of two snorkelers and three divers. All three divers were experienced and aware of the procedures for handling coral. There were two staff members from Reef Relief, one commercial boat captain, an artist and a dentist.

Selecting the broken pieces was not difficult because of the vast amount of fragmented coral that was strewn about. If the pieces of coral were stable, even if they protruded out of a sand pocket they were left undisturbed. Only those pieces of coral that were lying flat and loose in the sand, subject to tumbling and sedimentation, were chosen. Forty nine pieces of fragmented coral were recovered and stabilized on this day. The process of cementing the corals to the concrete pads would have to wait for calmer weather.

35mm slides
Bond the corals to the cement pads with hydraulic cement.

The crew consisted of three persons. Two Reef Relief staff and one volunteer. Nine of the fifteen Rosettes were cemented in a process that ran very smoothly. A very large plastic bin was used as a receptacle for cleaning and rinsing the tools in an effort to reduce turbidity in the water caused by wet cement. This proceedure worked very well and will be used in all future work including the installation of mooring buoys.

Rubber gloves were used to eliminate contamination of the coral products while handling them and a full sunshade was erected to keep the corals from receiving exposure to direct sunlight. One idea we had was to spray the corals with a fine mist while they were out of the water in order to keep them moist. This procedure proved to be unnecessary. When a mist was applied to the coral they would begin releasing a non-stop flow of mucus. One attempt was enough to warrant a full stop of this step.

Very soon after cementing the corals to the concrete pads they were placed back in the water and lowered to the ocean floor with the aid of a lift bag. This procedure allowed one diver to fully control the descent of the Rosette. The Rosettes were placed in the nursery area but were not fastened to the bottom, allowing the cement to gain a full cure before further movement.

35mm slides
Bond the corals to the cement pads with hydraulic cement

The crew consisted of three Reef Relief staff. The procedure ran smoothly. The remaining coral fragments were cemented to the pads and the first nine Rosettes were pinned to the ocean floor. One piece of coral was so large that it occupied an entire concrete pad. This particular piece was attached to the concrete pad with electric ties and not with cement. This rosette was placed on an elevated surface a meter above the rest of the nursery. After monitoring this rosette for six months it appears that the depth of the water played an important role in the rate of new coral growth. This fact is directly related to water clarity and the amount of sunlight that penetrates through to the coral.