11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

24.1063
Successful Reef Rehabilitation Through Coral Transplantation At Hikkaduwa
Marine Park, Sri Lanka
Suki EKARATNE1, Sithara JINENDRADASA* 2
1 2
Zoology, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka, International Water
Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Coral transplantation with Acropora ‘fragments’ in the reef lagoon at Hikkaduwa Marine
National Park , Sri Lanka, following mass coral mortality in April 1998, and monitored
over 8 years, including after the tsunami event, tested eight transplantation techniques in
areas that previously had live coral stands. These were cut-nubbins, horizontal untethered
and tethered fragments, upright tethered fragments, branched fragments attached to
rubber bases and to concrete grid-blocks, branched fragments in sand and shaded/exposed
fragments, where transplantation success was assessed using Anova on monthly linear
growth, branching and survival.
Transplanted cut-nubbins grew at 0.30±0.027mm.day -1 with branching by the first month
of transplantation, but suffered 100% loss due to fish cropping. Horizontal untethered
fragments incremented at 0.05±0.016mm.day -1 with 60% mortality and drupellid
colonization, branching commenced at one month. Horizontal tethered fragments
incremented at 0.01±0.046mm.day -1 with 47% mortality and light attachment within a
month. Upright tethered fragments showed negative growth (-0.36±0.100mm.day -1 ).
Branched fragments attached to rubber mat-base grew at 0.03±0.011mm.day -1 , without
any mortality. Branched fragments attached to concrete grid-blocks grew at
0.08±0.010mm.day -1 showing alternating slower and faster growth periods, and without
any mortality. Branched fragment in sand showed 0.2±0.040mm.day -1 growth and no
mortality, but their basal regions became buried with sediment deposition. Shaded and
exposed fragments grew at 0.07±0.100mm.day -1 and 0.03±0.054mm.day -1 , respectively,
with no mortality.
Since transplantation of branched fragments onto concrete grid-blocks yielded best longterm
results, 4’ by 4’ areas transplanted by this method were monitored over 8 years and
proved successful, attracting a variety of fish, with no loss even from the forces of the
tsunami. Sediment accumulation, common with degraded reefs, passed into holes of its
gridded design. Transplanted fragments, being placed horizontally, also withstood
cropping pressure.
24.1064
Comparison Of Fish Assemblages Between Mitigation Boulder Reef And
Neighboring Natural Hardbottom in Broward County, Florida, Usa
Jessica FREEMAN* 1,2 , T. Patrick QUINN 1,3 , Lance K. B. JORDAN 1,2 , Kirk
KILFOYLE 1,2 , Richard SPIELER 1,4
1 Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, Dania Beach, FL, 2 National Coral
Reef Institute, Dania Beach, 3 Biological Resources Division, Broward County
Environmental Protection Department, Plantation, 4 National Coral Reef Institute / Guy
Harvey Research Institute, Dania Beach
A beach renourishment project was initiated in May 2005 and completed in February
2006 to restore 11.1 km of shoreline in Broward County, Florida, USA. For mitigation of
predicted nearshore hardbottom burial, a boulder reef totaling 3.6 ha was deployed in
2003. To examine the replacement value of the mitigation relative to fishes, this study
compared fish assemblages on boulder reef to those on adjacent natural hardbottom.
Twenty-five natural hardbottom sites and twenty-five boulder reef sites were surveyed
six times between March 2005 and August 2007. Two non-destructive visual census
methods, a transect count (30 m long x 2 m wide x 1 m high) and a 20 minute rover diver
count (approximately 30 m x 30 m), were conducted at each site to assess abundance and
species richness. On transect counts 7,117 fishes of 96 species were counted on natural
hardbottom, while 11,769 fishes of 119 species were counted on boulder reef. Across
both survey types, a total of 271 species was recorded. Significant differences among reef
fish assemblages were found in both abundance and species richness (p