Small boats, rigid hull inflatables, were used to support the restoration effort. Divers left the Cunan Law, where they were housed and fed, and were transported to the reef by the tenders.

A small tender with divers at the restoration site.

A brain coral split apart by the Fortuna Reefer grounding.

A brain coral scarred by the ship grounding

The reef surrounding Mona Island contains old growth stands of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta. This photograph shows an Elkhorn coral damaged by the ship grounding and, later, by the removal of the ship from the reef.

A healthy stand of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta, typically found at the reef prior to the Fortuna Reefer grounding.

A severed branch of Elkhorn coral at the grounding site.

Severed branches from an Elkhorn coral stand at Mona Island.

Coral branches that fell in sand corridors bordering the reef are stressed when they become abraded by rolling in the sand.

A diver uses a pneumatic drill to create a hole in the reef framework to secure loose coral fragments.

A diver moves a loose fragment of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta, in preparation to reattach the fragment.

A diver replaces gear before continuing to work.

A diver prepares to reattach an Elkhorn coral fragment.

A diagram shows the impacted area and the number of corals reattached, within each section, during the restoration.

One diver prepares to attach coral, another diver works using surface supplied air.

Two divers work to reattach a large fragment of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta. The coral in the background has been attached to the reef framework using stainless steel wires. The wire binds the coral fragment to the living coral where it is expected to reattach to the live coral.

Close up of a diver after a coral is wired into place. A curious wrasse, in the foreground, watches the diver.

A wired fragment of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta. Restoration experts predict that wire used in the restoration effort will be overgrown by new coral growth within a few years time.

A coral fragment reattached using experimental plastic ties. The use of plastic ties proved to be unsuccessful because the straps could not be tightened enough to secure the corals.

A healthy stand of coral reef

A close-up image of the stainless steel wire used to reattach a coral fragment to the reef.

This image shows the reef framework crushed at ground zero impact.

Numerous fragments of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta, lie on the reef damaged by the grounding. In the foreground, some have already been reattached.

A close up of healthy Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta, missed by the grounding.

A coral fragment is cross-wired to keep it secure in the high energy environment at the fringing reef at Mona Island.

A sand corridor between the spur and groove formation of the reef. The restoration effort focused on keeping coral fragments off the reef floor and out of the sand corridors where they would become abraded and scoured.

Severed coral fragments on the edge of the reef buttress

A hand shaped fragment of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta, is wired tightly to the reef.

A coral fragment is wired in two places to keep it secure.

In the foreground, an Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta, fragment is reattached to the reef. Stainless steel nails are holding the wire in place.

A coral fragment reattached using the experimental plastic ties that were later discarded in favor of stainless steel wire that could be tightened more securely.

Close up of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta, where a coral branch has been previously severed.

A mooring buoy put in place by the restoration team prevented the need to to place large potentially damaging anchors on the reef.

Wired coral fragments in a monitoring station are indicated by the fiberglass rebar in the foreground of the photograph. Monitoring stations were established to determine the success of the restoration effort. The disc to the left of the photograph also distinguishes this location as a monitoring station.

This image shows a control site at the Mona Island reef. Control sites were selected at random to measure conditions of the reef outside the impacted area. Control sites help scientists determine the success of the restoration effort by later comparing conditions at the control site with those within the restoration areas.

A monitoring site within the restoration area

A cross-wired coral fragment within the monitoring area

Corals within a monitoring site at the Mona Island restoration area

A view from Atchafalaya Bay showing the project area in the background and the created marsh platform.

The dredge pipeline corridor as seen from the shoreline.

An aerial view of the created wetlands in the containment area.

An aerial close-up view of the created wetlands with a prominent lobe in the foreground.

Lake Chapeau in the foreground.

A clear aerial view of Lake Chapeau in the right of the image.

Lake Chapeau, the created wetlands can be seen in the foreground of the photograph.

A close-up view of the created wetlands at Lake Chapeau.

Plug site 7 looking northwest along the existing oil access canal. A shell and rip rap plug was constructed across a section of the existing canal which measured approximately 157 feet wide by 10 feet deep.

Plug site 7 looking at the south bank of the existing oil access canal. The white PVC pipe marks one end of the proposed plug.

Locust Bayou between plug site 7 and the existing southeast trending oil access canal. This 6500 linear foot section of Locust Bayou silted up and was dredged out to its natural depth prior to construction of the project's plugs.

Lake Chapeau shoreline. The broken marshes west of Lake Chapeau were restored by the dredging component of this project.