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NOAA Restoration Center
Damage Assessment Restoration Program
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Fortuna Reefer - Mona Island Emergency Coral Reef Restoration
Fortuna Reefer - Mona Island Emergency Coral Reef Restoration
Ship groundings are serious threats to coral reefs. Corals may be crushed or become dislodged. On July 23, 1997 a 325-foot container ship, the Fortuna Reefer, ran aground on the fringing coral reef surrounding Mona Island a nature reserve off the coast of Puerto Rico. The 6.8 acre site was dominated by an old growth stand of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta. Despite the absence of an oil spill, the case was pursued under the Oil Pollution Act because of a substantial threat of an oil discharge and from the injuries to the coral related to the response actions. To ensure the highest probability of successful restoration, an expedited settlement was reached and restoration occurred several months after the grounding incident and was completed by October, 1997. The restoration strategy consisted of reattaching branches of coral that were sheared off by steel cables used in response activities by securing them with stainless steel wire and nails to the reef buttress and to the existing relic Acropora palmatta framework. At the conclusion of the restoration work, over 1,857 coral fragments were stabilized. Monitoring stations have been established to track the success of the restoration effort.
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Fortuna Reefer
Restoration
Numerous fragments of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta, lie on the reef damagedby the grounding. In the foreground, some have already been reattached.
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A close up of healthy Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta, missed by the grounding.
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(1.53 MB)
A coral fragment is cross-wired to keep it secure in the high energy environmentat the fringing reef at Mona Island.
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(1.52 MB)
A sand corridor between the spur and groove formation of the reef. Therestoration effort focused on keeping coral fragments off the reef floor andout of the sand corridors where they would become abraded and scoured.
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(1.34 MB)
Severed coral fragments on the edge of the reef buttress
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(1.37 MB)
A hand shaped fragment of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta, is wired tightly tothe reef.
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(1.42 MB)
A coral fragment is wired in two places to keep it secure.
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(1.44 MB)
In the foreground, an Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta, fragment is reattachedto the reef. Stainless steel nails are holding the wire in place.
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(1.4 MB)
A coral fragment reattached using the experimental plastic ties that were laterdiscarded in favor of stainless steel wire that could be tightened moresecurely.
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(1.46 MB)
Close up of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta, where a coral branch has beenpreviously severed.
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(1.33 MB)
A mooring buoy put in place by the restoration team prevented the need toto place large potentially damaging anchors on the reef.
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(1.3 MB)
Wired coral fragments in a monitoring station are indicated by the fiberglassrebar in the foreground of the photograph. Monitoring stations were establishedto determine the success of the restoration effort. The disc to the left of thephotograph also
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(1.4 MB)
This image shows a control site at the Mona Island reef. Control sites wereselected at random to measure conditions of the reef outside the impacted area.Control sites help scientists determine the success of the restoration effortby later comparing
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(1.55 MB)
A monitoring site within the restoration area
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(1.49 MB)
A cross-wired coral fragment within the monitoring area
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(1.48 MB)
Corals within a monitoring site at the Mona Island restoration area
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(1.54 MB)
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