Abstract Summary
The degradation of coral reefs worldwide has accelerated efforts to find cost effective and adequate methodologies for restoring reefs. Coral reefs are declining from rising sea temperatures, massive storm events and vessel groundings. There are several styles of coral nurseries, but there are no standards for coral nursery design or depth. When designing coral nurseries, there are concerns of negative impacts to marine life, such as entanglement in lines and nets. Here, a nursery platform was designed using fiber reinforced plastic. The platform is a 20ft hexagon that sits on twelve legs with circular and square bases and anchored with three 13lb Danforth anchors. The nursery is located off the south shore O`ahu in a sandy area of the seafloor at 55ft depth, where nearby reefs were evaluated for collection of corals of opportunity. Corals of opportunity were identified as unattached corals in rubble reef flats that naturally detach from storm surge or loose substrate. Corals were assessed in the surrounding area, if loose, they were moved onto the platform. A total of 514 coral fragments of varying size and species were collected and placed on the platform, out of these, thirty two corals of multiple species were monitored in a control area of the nursery over seven weeks. Physiological responses varied with several corals showing recolonization and re-skinning, while others showed partial mortality. This nursery prototype utilizes the natural ability of coral to regenerate, demonstrating that coral restoration and mitigation can become more timely, efficient and economical.
