February 25 through December 1, 1998
Overview of Elkhorn coral at Select Sites in the Caribbean
Reef
Relief’s Coral Nursery Project (Excerpt from Craig Quirolo’s
1998 State of the Reef Report)
Chronology of the Coral Nursery Project
Field notes & Images for the following dates:
The Coral Nursery Project was made possible through the support of the Mark Collins, Sr. Memorial Fund. Our thanks to the family and friends of Mr. Collins who established this fund in his memory.
The Reef Relief Photo Monitoring Survey, directed by Craig Quirolo, documents change in Key West-area coral reefs on a slide and video format. The survey began in 1991 with the cash prize accompanying the first Robert Rodale Environmental Achievement Award. The survey has been expanded to include coral reefs in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Mexico, Bay Islands of Honduras, and the Bahamas. In the past six years, this effort has been made possible through the support of the Edith and Curtis Munson Foundation, the Henry Fund, the Turner Foundation, the Norcross Wildlife Foundation, The Bailey Wildlife Foundation, the Richard Lounsbery Foundation, the Chingos Foundation, the Royal Caribbean Ocean Fund and the members of Reef Relief. The City of Key West has generously provided boat dockage and office space as well.
This survey has led to the discovery of several new coral diseases and has documented the damage from storms and accidental boat groundings at the reef. It is this first-hand knowledge of change on the coral reef that led to the awareness and motivation to restore the coral reef after the Ground Hog Day Storm. After documenting the extensive damage that occurred at Western Sambo Reef , Reef Relief’s founder and Director of Marine Projects, Craig Quirolo, became concerned. The many fragments of coral generated by the storm would not survive unless they were stabilized. He contacted Harold Hudson of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (F.K.N.M.S.), whose experience in coral reef restoration has earned him the title of “Reef Doctor.” Harold responded by designing the Coral Rosette method utilized for this project. His direction and guidance in this project is especially appreciated as is the support of G.P. Schmahl, Lower Keys Manager of the FKNMS, John Halas, of the Upper Keys Region of the sanctuary, and Judi Halas.
The mission of the Coral Nursery is to rescue pieces of storm-damaged Elkhorn coral that would have otherwise died. This has been a community-based effort in coral reef restoration. With appropriate supervision, a brief training session, and a preliminary orientation prior to entering the water, we have established that small teams including volunteers can accomplish a lot in terms of restoring corals that have been damaged by storms. Under the direction of Craig Quirolo, Reef Relief mobilized a volunteer force eager to help protect the reef and the project began. Special thanks is due to all of the volunteers who have been a part of this project, especially Dave Liggett of the Columbus Zoo, Clyde Hensley, Bill Reese, Mel Eaton, Sharona Setlock, John Maceli, Joe Hubchenko, and the Reef Relief team that participated, including Michael Blades and DeeVon Quirolo. We hope to continue these efforts at coral reef restoration.
There
are very few places on the earth where man and coral reef live
in harmony. Man has always considered the ocean as an infinite
resource beyond the scope of our control; after all, it covers
seven-tenths of the earth’s surface. We are just now becoming
enlightened as to the delicate nature of oceans and to the irreversible
damage we have inflicted upon them. Both in developed and undeveloped
countries throughout the world the ocean has been treated as a
dumping ground for waste products. In the case of the USA and
the former USSR we have even gone so far as to dump tons of radioactive
material into the sea. Somewhere we have lost our connection to
the sea, forgetting the most obvious fact; that we depend on healthy
oceans for survival. The oceans can no longer hide our dirty secrets
and are telling us that we should treat them as if they were the
source of our next drink of water.
Coral reefs are the most diverse marine eco-systems on the planet
and are found only in the tropical zones of the planet. Corals
require clean, clear, nutrient free water in which to live. Because
corals are stationary animals, they are only as healthy as the
water that passes over them. In this sense they become the barometers
of the sea. The reefs are the canaries in the coal mine.
We have turned such a blind eye to the deterioration of the oceans
that many of the coral reefs in the world are disappearing, victims
of disease and deterioration. We must keep in mind that coral
reefs have been on the planet for hundreds of millions of years
and to experience such a rapid decline in the health of our corals,
as we have seen in the last decade, should signal to us a ‘red
alert’.
Our job, if we accept the responsibility of our actions, is to
Conserve, Protect and Restore the corals of the world. This translates
into giving CPR to a dying ocean. The Coral Nursery project is
more of a symbolic gesture, an attempt to jump start the process
of taking action in a society riddled with ancient bureaucratic
ideals that proliferate the thinking that there is nothing that
we can do about it.
As we enter the twenty-second century we must admit to the fact
that we have indeed conquered nature and realize that the word
“nature” does not apply to anything anymore. We must
do more than say we are Conserving Nature. We must Conserve our
Pollution. We must take action and clean up our act. Elkhorn coral
grows only in the Caribbean region including the Straits of Florida
and the Bahamas. This report is focused on Elkhorn coral and the
restoration attempts by Reef Relief during the period of February
25 to December 1, 1998.
© 2001 Reef Relief--All
Rights Reserved.
