Caribbean Acropora Restoration Guide - The Florida Reef ...

Chapter 4 | Case Studies
Nursery Operations and Maintenance
• Require little to no maintenance.
• The line nurseries are cleaned and maintained during nursery expansion and outplanting.
• Site checks are usually performed after large storm events (hurricanes) to check for damage.
Outplanting
• Outplant events typically occur twice a year.
• Corals have been outplanted from the line nurseries to the
restored parts of the grounding impact site (Figure 1).
• Corals were reattached using a variety of methods (epoxy,
cable ties, cement and by wedging the corals into the reef so
that they are stable).
• Stabilizing transplants without the use of any foreign materials
is successful, but the use of epoxy, cable ties and cement will
increase transplant stability and survival.
• Survivorship of outplanted corals is approximately 90%.
Lessons Learned
Figure 1: Corals outplanted to the restored
parts of the grounding impact site
• The FUCAs have a PVC frame that prevents the nursery from collapsing as the corals grow and get
heavier.
• Larger PVC frames (10’ x 10’) were too large for the vertical arrangement. Corals on the upper half of
the nurseries grew more slowly, and additional buoys had to be added as the corals grew larger. Smaller
PVC frames (5’ x 10’) proved more effective and easier to work with.
• Helix anchors seem to work better than duck-bill anchors if the substrate is more rubble than sand.
• Having a site with good circulation, swell exposure and fish to clean the nurseries will help prevent
biofouling on lines.
Funding and Partners
Work to date has been funded by case money from the M/V Margara grounding and NOAA’s Restoration Center.
Authors
S. Griffin, T. Moore
For Additional Information
Sean Griffin (Sean.Griffin@noaa.gov), Tom Moore (Tom.Moore@noaa.gov)
Photos
Courtesy of: Sean Griffin and Tom Moore, NOAA Restoration Center
41