Evening Event: Science Social with Posters, Video Storytelling & #Fieldwork Fails (Light Appetizers Provided)

Active coral reef restoration is a fast-growing area of research around the world. The largest projects emerged from a need to accelerate the repopulation of threatened species in the Caribbean. With the increasing threat of climate change, restoration is rapidly becoming a platform for incorporating recent developments in assisted evolution, assisted migration or gene flow, and assisted fertilization and recruitment. Compared to other reefs worldwide, the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP) is a region with low coral biodiversity and less-developed reef frameworks. However, the corals here persist in an environment characterized by wide fluctuations in temperature, pH and salinity. The main goal of this project is to develop sound propagation and restoration practices for the main reef-building corals in the ETP as a basis for restoring reefs with more climate-adapted corals in the future. An underwater nursery was established in Golfo Dulce, Southern Pacific of Costa Rica. A coral tree nursery was established to propagate fragments of Pocillopora spp. (n=171) massive Porites spp. (194) and encrusting Pavona gigantea (103). Survival was highest for Pocillopora spp. (87%) and P. gigantea (98%), and lowest for Porites spp. (39%). Survival and growth rates varied with orientation of the fragments and with length of time in the nursery. Surviving colonies of all species were typically ready for outplanting between 6-9 months. Three test outplantings have so far yielded high survival and growth. We will report further on these results and future research plans for this ETP coral restoration program.

Coral reefs have degraded drastically in recent decades. The impact of anthropogenic activities, in synergy with the effects of global climate change, has led to the decrease of coral coverage and the loss of roughness of the calcareous matrix, which reduces the three-dimensional structure of the relief with a consequent loss of biodiversity. The natural process of recovering damaged sites seems increasingly uncertain, and for this to happen it could take a long time. With the intention of accelerating the process of recovery of these ecosystems, various restoration strategies have been implemented, which mainly include the planting of corals, either fragments or sexual recruits. These interventions aim to achieve a direct effect on the increase of coral coverage, but the restitution of the roughness of the structure does not occur immediately. The National Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Mexico is carrying out a project for the production of corals and reef restoration. In this year a constant production of micro-fragments is being maintained, based on the technique developed by Dr. David Vaughan, researcher of the MOTE Marine Laboratoy and Aquarium, in order to maximize the production of live coral tissue of Orbicella faveolta and Acropora palmata. The tissue plates produced by micro-fragmentation will be used to reskining artificial substrates, specifically designed for each species, in order to simulate larger coral colonies that provide structural complexity in the intervened sites. These new techniques will allow us to generate colonies capable of growing and reaching sexual maturity in less time than in a natural way. The success of these actions will allow the implementation of actions to restore damaged reefs in a more efficient and timely manner.

Caribbean ecosystem with its diverse habitat is a goldmine for biologists, environmentalists and tourists. While the coral reefs hold extensive value as they are hotspots for diverse species, the Biogenic reefs with the sandcastle worm add to their survival. These are the Sabellariid polychaetes that live in intertidal zones, build reefs in geographically restricted areas as they have a specific limitation for their growth and survival due to the temperature, water circulation and additional external characteristics. While their distribution has been documented in the United Kingdom, Asia, Australia and parts of North and South America, their existence in the Caribbean is seen in parts of the Greater Antilles - Puerto Rico, St.Croix and Virgin Islands. It is the first time; we document and report the growth and distribution of the sandcastle reefs in Nevis, an island of Lesser Antilles. The growth and sustenance of these reefs are directly related to the underlying firm substrates, the continual washing and movement of the intertidal waters with suspended grains. The fringing coral reefs are significant to Nevis; their growth and survival directly related to the climate impact. As the sandcastle reefs in the intertidal zone provide a habitat to numerous marine organisms, their location and existence can be correlated to the coral reefs; give an insight into the climate impact on the island of Nevis. The sandcastle reefs are observed to be located in the North East coastline of Nevis, which is a haven for scuba divers and marine biologists. The aim of this study is to document the type of species in the Nevisian reefs and map their distribution. While this study will provide valuable ecological significance for the benthic and coral habitats, it will add a potential benefit to understand the impact of climate and other human activities in their growth and decline. Further study will help better understand the role of these saberilla in the maintenance of the ecosystem; and study those factors that influence the dynamics of the other reefs to promote conservation.

Global warming, and the resultant coral bleaching events, are now considered the greatest threat to the long-term sustainability of coral reefs. Alongside the challenge of mitigating globally driven change is the potential for cumulative and synergistic impacts of local stressors such as run-off, pollution, and eutrophication in local areas. These cumulative threats are linked to high coral mortality, emergence of new diseases, reduced coral growth, reproduction, and recruitment. To ensure degraded marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs, continue to survive and overcome future environmental challenges, conservation efforts coupled with local-scale restoration efforts need to be prioritised in regions where the organisms they support are identified as having the greatest capacity to continue to deliver important ecosystem goods and services. Australia is currently in the preliminary stages of developing coral reef restoration practices within the world heritage listed Marine Park. It is essential to determine how these efforts can couple with existing conservation and management practices to best ensure the future sustainability of the GBR. Whilst some coral restoration programs have been successful, coral mortality following out-planting remains very high following corals being returned to the reef this rapid loss of coral is one of the greatest constraints to reef restoration success. Understanding the underlying biological causes and environmental drivers of high mortality in restoration programs, and determining the risk they cause to adjacent natural reef systems, provides a means by which to develop optimal strategies that can support coral survival, and improve the feasibility of restoration efforts within Australia’s GBR Marine Park. We are partnering with long-term coral reef restoration world-wide, Australia’s leading coral reef research foundation The Great Barrier Reef Foundation, U.S. based UBIOME affiliated research support program, Bioplatforms Australia, and Opal Reef, to undertake a world-wide coral health assessment following transplantation of corals for restoration. Specifically, we aim to develop an integrated SmartReefs program which will determine the out- planting practices associated with coral mortality in restoration programs, develop a coral health monitoring program, and provide best practice policy advice for minimising risk in reef restoration within the GBR Marine Park.

Category five Hurricanes Irma and María (2017) caused extensive devastation of shallow coral reef assemblages across the Northeast Reserves System Habitat Focus Area (NER-HFA) of Culebra Island, Puerto Rico. These caused coral colony fragmentation and dislodgment across multiple species, and the nearly extirpation of shallow Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and Finger coral (Porites porites) biotopes on locations exposed to extreme wave action (10 m). Extensive fragmentation of Elkhorn coral (A. palmata), partial demolition of spur and groove structures, and the formation of sizeable rubble fields were documented across some of the most exposed reefs. There was also significant colony fragmentation and dislodgment of Pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus) and Star corals (Orbicella spp.). Most of the observed damage occurred at depths shallower than 6 m. This resulted in the unprecedented opportunity of obtaining abundant fragments for micro-fragmentation and propagation in situ in low-tech coral farms of multiple Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed species. Approximately 600 colonies of D. cylindrus, 350 colonies of O. annularis and O. faveolata, 400 colonies of A. palmata, and 2,000 of A. cervicornis were initially recovered and grown between March and November 2018. Percent survival rates have remained around 98% for the three massive species, 90% for A. cervicornis, and 60% for A. palmata. Fragments of opportunity with severe sediment sandblasting showed the highest mortality rates. However, fragments with lower impacts showed rapid healing rates (< 2 months), with tissue overgrowing plastic-covered wire used to attach colonies to farming units. Also, about 400 surviving colonies of A. cervicornis grown in coral farms at depths of 13 m have been already out-planted to stabilize deep water rubble fields. These efforts will allow the unique opportunity of reintroducing multiple slow-growing, ESA-listed coral species into depleted coral reefs. It will provide the opportunity to test methods aimed at stabilizing extensive rubble fields, which represent a novel and complex restoration challenge. This will also allow implementing demographic modeling tools to address the success of reef restoration, and its integration to wave numerical models to address the role of shallow reef restoration on wave energy attenuation.

The staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis), a branching Caribbean coral, contributes to reef
ecosystems by adding structural complexity. Structurally complex reefs provide increased fish
habitat and support greater fish diversity compared to reefs with less complex substrate. A.
cervicornis has declined by more than 95% in the Caribbean in the last 40 years. To counter the
loss of this species, conservationists are using a restoration technique in which coral fragments
are grown in nurseries and transplanted (“outplanted”) to suitable reef habitat. While many
studies have measured outplant success in terms of outplanted coral survival rates, this study
measures success in terms of structural complexity and fish diversity at the outplant site 1-3
years after outplanting. We surveyed four outplant sites off the coast of St. Thomas, United
States Virgin Islands, with each site divided into four areas: 1) an outplanted A. cervicornis
stand, 2) a natural A. cervicornis stand, 3) a coral community with no A. cervicornis near an
outplanted stand, and 4) a coral community with no A. cervicornis near a natural stand. At three
5-m transects in each area, the height of the five tallest hard substrates was measured to quantify
structural complexity and a fish survey was conducted to assess fish communities. A two-way
analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed no significant difference in structural complexity among
areas. Fish diversity was quantified by calculating species richness, species evenness, the
Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index, and Simpson’s Index of Diversity. When compared among
areas using two-way ANOVAs and Kruskall-Wallace non-parametric tests, only the Shannon-
Wiener Diversity Index showed a significant difference in fish diversity. The similarity of
structural complexity and fish diversity in areas with and without A. cervicornis may be due to
the high cover of Orbicella annularis, another structurally complex reef-building species, in the
coral communities without A. cervicornis. Our results suggest that outplanted A. cervicornis
stands provide similar structural complexity to and support similar fish communities as natural A.
cervicornis stands and other coral communities with reef-building coral species. Therefore, the
outplanting of A. cervicornis may be an effective tool for sustaining structurally complex reefs
with diverse fish communities.

Plastic production has been continually growing worldwide due to its high durability, low cost, and light weight. Microplastics are either intentionally created, or derived from larger plastic sources via mechanical, photolytic, or chemical degradation. Microplastics can adsorb contaminants and persist in the ocean, often settling in the sediment. This may pose problems for benthic marine organisms that ingest small particles, such as sea cucumbers. Sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Holothuriida/Aspidochirotida) are deposit feeders ingesting sediment in seagrass and sandy habitats. Seagrass health is important due to its linked relationship with other marine environments, such as coral reefs. This study had two goals: first, to examine if microplastics were accumulating in seagrass sediment compared to sandy bottom sediment in the Florida Keys, U.S.A.; second, to determine if sea cucumbers Holothuria floridana, Holothuria mexicana, and Actinopyga agassizi ingested microplastics in two locations along the Florida Keys. On average, there was a higher concentration of microplastics in the seagrass habitat compared the sandy bottom areas. All three species of sea cucumbers ingested microplastics of different sizes and shapes similar to the microplastics extracted from the collected sediment, which may make them useful as a microplastic monitoring tool for marine environments.

Currently the Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture of Mexico develops the program of reef restoration in Quintana Roo. With 10 years of work in the development of biotechnology, it has been possible to consolidate a multifunctional system for coral cultivation that includes hatcheries and nurseries for coral colonies production to out-planting in damage areas. Multifunctional cropping systems have been designed to specifically address different aspects of the crop. In this way there are systems for the management of sexual recruits that include larval development, the process of settlement of larvae, and their maintenance in the different stages of development during their growth. There are also systems for the production of fragments by clonal propagation, as well as for micro-fragments and the maintenance of donor colonies. Controlled culture systems (SCC) are generally used for the breeding and settlement of Acropora palmata larvae, have temperature control, artificial light of 400 and 1000 wtts and automated 20000 ◦K for photoperiod simulation, a volume of 1100 l (4x1x.35m) and nutrient control with skimmer with capacity to hold up to (40,000) larvae or (20,000) recruits. The external culture systems (SCE) are used to maintain fragments, micro-fragments and donor colonies of different species with 2 different capacities.These systems receive natural light filtered through polycarbonate sheets of glass and smoke colour with UV filter, interleaved for a diffuse reception on the tanks. This culture system has cooling through a chiller , a Skimer and filtration system of 1μm for the main flow. On the other hand, for the marine culture systems, concrete plates were initially installed of .5x.5m and 10 cm. of thickness present in a tube of 35 cm. of height on which a 1"male adapter is assembled, containing 1 coral, and currently they are being replaced by modular PVC structures with union screws to facilitate their removal from the water and cleaning on land. Having this variety of cultivation systems allows an efficient management of production, achieving the protection of successful genotypes, the controlled management of breeding species (seedbed), as well as a control of the origin and destination of each production.

Coral reefs in Florida and the Caribbean have faced significant declines for the last 30 years. In recent years, coral restoration practices have focused on a limited number of species, chiefly Acropora cervicornis, and there is a growing need to add mounding and boulder corals to a multi-species restoration framework that resembles the natural landscape more closely. Once outplanted, small corals face space competition from faster-growing components of the benthic community like Palythoa caribaeaorum and macroalgae. Here, we quantify the impacts of such competition for space and evaluate whether maintenance (i.e., regular removal of space competitors) can enhance coral survivorship and growth. We outplanted fragments (max diameter 8cm – 18cm) of Montastraea cavernosa and Orbicella faveolata along with colonies of nursery-grown Acropora cervicornis onto a Florida reef. Colonies of each species were divided into four treatments: 1) corals outplanted in contact with macroalgae (no future maintenance), 2) corals outplanted in contact with Palythoa and macroalgae (no future maintenance), 3) corals outplanted without initial contact with Palythoa and macroalgae (15 cm radius area around coral cleaned using a wire brush at the time of deployment only); and 4) corals outplanted without contact with Palythoa and macroalgae (15 cm radius area around coral cleaned monthly). The corals were monitored monthly for 1 year and survivorship and growth determined using photographs and field measurements. Initial analyses indicate that the frequent removal of space competitors showed limited effects on coral growth and survivorship and that physical factors such as temperature may have a larger influence on coral growth than active maintenance.

Coral reefs are threatened by rising seawater temperatures and ocean acidification. However, some populations of coral can cope with relatively high temperature and pCO2 conditions, which may be a function of their heterotrophic capacity. Reefs surrounding Oahu, Hawai'i, USA vary in temperature and pCO2 conditions reflective of those observed on most reefs today to those not typically expected until mid-century. We hypothesize that corals from sites with elevated seawater temperature and pCO2 will incorporate a greater proportion of heterotrophic carbon into their tissues than corals from sites representative of normal reef conditions. We measured the δ13C values in two dominant species (Montipora capitata and Porites compressa) of coral from four sites around Oahu to determine the proportionate contribution of photoautotrophic and heterotrophic carbon to coral tissues. Preliminary results show that the contribution of heterotrophic carbon to coral tissues is higher in corals from sites with elevated summertime temperatures and pCO2 conditions. These preliminary findings support our hypothesis and suggest that corals in more stressful environments have adapted to those conditions by increasing their intake of heterotrophically derived C as a mechanism to supplement nutritional needs in stressful environments. Overall, this study suggests that corals with higher capacity to incorporate heterotrophic carbon into their tissues may be good candidates for coral conservation efforts as they might have greater potential to cope with future ocean conditions.

Anthropogenic structures submerged in the sea over thousands of years provide hard and longstanding evidence of human influence in the marine environment. Many of these structures were created for purposes such as fishing or tourism, but they may also provide unique opportunities for conservation. This potential can only be fully explored by moving beyond comparisons with "natural" coral or rocky reefs and considering them as ecosystems in their own right. In order to assess the conservation impacts of these structures and manage their future, a broad analysis of their biodiversity and social values is necessary. This requires: (1) collation of information on their number, location, characteristics, and associated biodiversity worldwide, (2) a system for their assessment in conservation, and (3) a move toward a nuanced, integrated understanding of the social and ecological roles they play. This more integrative approach can catalyse positive conversations around management of anthropogenic reefs for conservation benefit, the development of best practice guidelines and exploitation of learning opportunities for researchers and others.

Researchers were tasked with developing a novel method of antibiotic delivery to a submerged mucosal membrane over an extended release profile between 15-72 hours to be used for field application on scleractinian corals affected by Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. Studies were conducted using dissolution vessels commonly used to monitor extended release profiles of pharmaceuticals. This was paired with the Pion UV-Vis Spectrometer which collected measurements taken hourly. ‘Hold-Fast’ studies were co-currently conducted by varying paddle speed within each vessel to simulate ocean current conditions commonly found at treatment locations. Major challenges included achieving a steady 0-order release profile of medication by means of diffusion through the delivery matrix. Successful anchoring of the matrix to the infected site, and transfer of the medication into the ailing organism. A successful ointment was created by combining a moisture sensitive volcanizing silicone matrix with carrageenan and poly ethylene oxide polymers . The resulting matrix could be modified to generate release profiles to deliver treatment to the ailing site between 1 to 3 days.

Microbiota response within reef invertebrates potentially play a critical role in the holobionts environmental acclimation and ultimately the persistence of populations faced with future ocean acidification and warming. This study aimed to establish the microbial communities associated with early developmental stages of the GBR sponge, Carteriospongia foliascens and assess if vertical transmission of microbial symbionts from parents exposed to future climate conditions can be drivers of transgenerational acclimation in the early life history stages. Our results revealed a highly conserved microbial community structure across three critical points of early development of C. foliascens, indicating potential vertical acquisition of their microbial symbionts. In addition, intraspecific variation or ‘genotype effect’ was found to be a critical driver in shaping microbial assemblages present throughout the developmental stages of both ambient and experimental recruits and supports previous findings in which community stability has been seen despite stressful environmental conditions (i.e. salinity, temperature, eutrophication). The microbial similarities between experimental recruits were also found to be heavily influenced by the initial exposure of their parent sponge and highlights the potential implications on sponge population persistence via microbe mediated transgenerational acclimation. Although transplant treatments had a minimal effect on shifting community populations, we report that recruits subjected to high ocean acidification and warming conditions had higher relative abundance of Cyanobacteria than control groups which may mitigate thermal stress through higher energetic contribution to the host. Nevertheless, implications of variation in microbial community structure based on a host genotype effect must be taken into consideration for future conservation efforts and for this reason, our results highlight the necessity of considering genotype effect in which this effect can influence overall host physiology and in turn, its ability to acclimate quickly in the face of changing ocean parameters. With predicted impacts from OA and warming into the future, resolving the role of the microbial communities in facilitating acclimation and potential adaption to future conditions is currently a fundamental research focus and highlights the need for further exploration into host genotype and the implications on the interactions with its symbiotic microbiota.

The goal of coral reef restoration is not only to enhance coral populations, but also to recover and sustain the diverse fish communities that rely on reef habitat and ecosystem services. The sequence in which species colonize new habitat is often an important determinant of long-term community structure, with early arriving species either inhibiting or facilitating future colonization; a phenomenon known as priority effects. To date, few studies have focused on understanding the role priority effects play in the long-term assemblage structure of reef dependent species following coral out-planting. By monitoring natural and out-planted coral colonies on reefs in the Upper Florida Keys, our research seeks to answer two key questions related to priority effects and community dynamics of reef-dependent organisms over time: 1) At what rate do fish colonize newly available coral habitat? 2) In what sequence do fish species arrive based on life history stage and functional group? We will address these questions by monitoring natural and out-planted colonies of Acropora cervicornis and tracking the rate and order of colonization over the weeks following out-planting. Here we present our detailed hypotheses and preliminary data from the project, as well as a timeline of research activities over the next year. This research will identify facilitative and inhibitory priority effects in post-restoration coral reef communities, which are applicable to designing future restoration projects to bolster ecosystem recovery.

Globally, coral reefs are in decline. The intensity and frequency of disturbances have pushed
coral reefs close to their thermal tolerance limit, causing over half of the world’s coral to die
(Hughes et al., 2018). Yet, coral reefs form the foundations of the most diverse marine
ecosystem on the planet (Hoegh-Guldberg, 1999), and remain invaluable to the world. Given
the current global temperature trajectories, a toolbox of options are needed for conservation of
coral reefs including coral reef rehabilitation, repair and restoration activities (Van Oppen et
al. 2015). While active restoration of coral reefs holds a number of challenges, issues, and
uncertainty, the need to identify suitable areas to target restoration is arguably as important as
restoration techniques. Marine conservation is traditionally focused on marine protected areas
(MPAs), but given the current coral crisis, efforts need to start including active efforts in
restoring the reef resources (Rinkevich, 2008). Using remote-sensed high resolution maps of
coral reefs in the Cairns region of Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef overlayed with
historical disturbance data, a spatial action map was created highlighting optimal areas where
restoration can be targeted where threats are recognised and risk minimised. The application of
this is transferable to reefs globally, and can assist in higher survivorship and better cost benefit
outcomes. This is critical, as survivorship of coral reefs is related to inadequate site selection
and stochastic events (Bayraktarov et al. 2016).

In coral reef restoration, we do not publish what failed. Which means, everybody is re-inventing the wheel at some point unaware of failed techniques or mistakes done by others. We need to share failures, so as a community of coral reef scientists and practitioners, we can learn what works and what does not work, and how to fix the problem. The #FieldworkFail tag is very popular on Twitter and a quick Google search reveals dramatic outcomes from zealous fish repositioning GoPro cameras to elephant blood samples exploding in an airplane. This is the first attempt at completing a “FieldworkFail for coral reef restoration. In this informal “tea time” gathering, participants will be invited to share their most embarrassing fieldwork story and what they learned from it: a technique that didn’t work, a mistake done in the field, or even a well-planned project that went nowhere. The aim is to share failures and learn from each other in an informal environment. Participants will be asked to bring photos, or videos of their #FieldworkFail and a certificate will be provided to the winner Fail based on voting from the audience.

Coral reef restoration is gaining considerable momentum globally in response to the threat of climate change and associated coral bleaching. In Australia, as part of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP), a range of interventions are currently being investigated to help the Great Barrier Reef resist, repair and recover from climate change. RRAP interventions will be implemented in a complex regulatory environment, comprising multiple pieces of legislation and associated government agencies at federal and state levels. Such a regulatory environment is likely to be critical in determining the feasibility and viability of restoration interventions on the Great Barrier Reef. Drawing on document analysis, case studies and expert elicitation, this study investigates the regulatory implications of RRAP interventions. This includes mapping the existing regulations relating to proposed restoration interventions on the Great Barrier Reef, examining situations where these regulations may support and/or constrain implementation and long-term monitoring and evaluation of interventions, and identifying practical measures to enable the regulatory environment to effectively address restoration interventions – including those based on novel technologies (e.g., synthetic biology and assisted gene flow). Ultimately, this study provides important insights into the role of regulation in enabling effective large-scale reef restoration. These may prove useful to other jurisdictions, where reef restoration has become an imperative under a fast-changing climate.

Hurricanes play a fundamental role in shaping coral reef benthic and fish communities. Long-term degradation and loss of ecosystem persistence and resilience may drive reefs into a permanent state of mediocrity. Mediocre reefs are characterized by slow but progressive homogenization, which may involve declining biodiversity, carbonate budget, accretion rate, and productivity. This may drive the system into often irreversible regime shifts and a compromised ability to recover from disturbance. The increasing recurrence of stochastic events (e.g. coral bleaching, coral mortality events, catastrophic hurricanes, extreme rainfall/runoff) can further drive the system towards homogenization characterized by reef flattening, shrinking food web, collapsing fish assemblages, and declining ecological functions. These factors represent a major management challenge and a threat for coral survival and achieving long-term benefits of ecological restoration. A case study from Culebra Island, Puerto Rico is discussed. Category five Hurricanes Irma and María caused significant devastation of restored assemblages of ESA-listed Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) in 2017. Fish censuses were conducted within control and impact sites before and after out-planting for three years, within and outside a no-take reserve. There were highly significant (PERMANOVA, p< 0.05) increases in fish species richness, abundance, and biomass within restored plots, particularly, within the reserve. Restored thickets with larger corals sustained higher fish biomass and abundance. But hurricanes with waves exceeding 6-10 m eliminated 99.9% of out-planted coral cohorts. There was a significant collapse in coral thickets, in benthic spatial relief, and in fish assemblages. This was similar to observations made on collapsed natural reefs, with stochastic coral colony fragmentation dislodging, flattening and formation of extensive rubble fields. This was followed in 2018 by a mid to late summer Acroporid coral mortality event coinciding with sea surface temperature exceeding 29°C, a mesoscale eddy with a 5-fold increase in chlorophyll-a concentration, and with high concentrations of dissolved organic carbon across the eastern Puerto Rico shelf. Changes in the dynamics of hurricanes and mesoscale eddies can significantly influence the benefits of long-term reef restoration and must be accounted in any modeled projection of restoration outcomes and success.

The ability to predict metabolic deficits in coral holobiont metabolism is becoming increasingly important as water temperatures continue to rise. Physiological sensitivities to acute and cumulative thermal stress were compared in Acropora cervicornis from Broward County, Florida. Dark-adapted chlorophyll fluorescence and rates of respiration and photosynthesis were measured in acute and cumulative exposures at five temperatures spanning 25-36˚C. Each exposure revealed differences in metabolic sensitivity, determined by Q10 and critical thermal maximum (CTmax). CTmax was lower with cumulative stress exposure than acute stress. Acutely stressed corals had a drastic metabolic response to thermal stress when exposed to temperatures that exceeded present day naturally-occurring maxima and were nearly two times more sensitive than corals that experienced a more gradual exposure. In contrast, when heated gradually, metabolic rates appeared to be less sensitive to temperature until CTmax was reached. A temperature-based model of the ratio of daily gross photosynthesis to respiration (Pg:R) was derived from these measurements to provide real time metabolism with in situ temperature data. Remarkably, Pg:R model predictions agree with the thermal bleaching threshold for this species. Pg:R models from both exposures suggest acclimation potential in this population may be metabolically limited. Temperature-based metabolic models may be a useful tool to identify other at-risk species, prioritize restoration target regions, and predict the timing of greatest vulnerability to focus restoration efforts.

Corals are one of the most difficult animals to depict for people of non-biological backgrounds. Corals live in time frames different from ours. Their anatomy is much smaller than what we are comfortable resolving with our eyes. They are home to a large microscopic biodiversity that is even harder to picture. Graphic representation of the alien-like world of the coral reef requires a special set of skills. In simple terms, despite the unquestionable importance, the topic of reef restoration can pose immense challenges to communicate publicly. Our mission is to remove the communication and language barriers through blending disciplines, graphic visuals, science digital imaging, and storytelling. We create unique stories that reveal hidden worlds and open minds. In a broad sense, our work can be classified as a form of modern art. Art is an important component of engaging the public with the current issues and inspiring younger generations. Art in all forms of media can touch human hearts and capture imagination like no amount of unambiguous scientific data can. The modern academic environment is generally not friendly towards quality artistic portrayal of scientific topics. That is a stark contrast to the Victorian era, brimming with scientific art that inspired generations of future researchers. Our latest short film was a technological break-through. We crossed the Pacific Ocean with Tara Expedition during the worst coral reef mass die-off events. We developed and utilised techniques that reveal the world of coral in the most spectacular and illuminative way. The film received a Hollywood-like postproduction treatment for maximum cinematic quality and style. Above all, our project demonstrates how bringing disciplines together can inspire understanding and change.

The Coral Restoration Foundation Curaçao (CRFC) was founded in 2015 as a non-profit organization, with missions “(a) to promote awareness of coral reef health and survival and the environmental and social benefits of reef ecosystems; (b) to engage communities in nursery and restoration efforts by encouraging long term involvement, as well as facilitating partnerships for the purpose of research, restoration, and understanding of coastal research; (c) to grow and restore threatened coral species and to enhance reproductive output to stimulate a natural recovery.” CRFC has drawn inspiration from the techniques pioneered by CRF Florida, and has worked closely with its founder, Ken Nedimyer. CRFC currently includes three participating Dive Centers, and is funded primarily by them, by the business community on Curaçao, and by donations from visiting divers. CRFC has trained 60 certified Restoration Divers, runs regular volunteer restoration dives, and hosts intern marine biologists who perform applied research as well as restoration work. CRFC has three nurseries with a total of 30 trees and 1750 pieces of coral, populated from original A. cervicornis and A. palmata stock encompassing ten independent genotypes from each species. Half a dozen outplanting sites have been established along the southwest (leeward) coast of the island, including in the newly created Marine Park that covers its eastern tip. Over 5000 pieces of coral have been outplanted over the three years of CRFC’s existence, with many individual outplanted pieces reaching sizes over 2 m. The health of the outplanted reefs is excellent overall, with a rate of long-term (> 1 yr) survival in excess of 80%. This is due in part to Curaçao being outside the Caribbean hurricane belt. CRFC is thus contributing significantly to the restoration of Curaçao’s once thriving reef-building corals.

Coral reefs are in rapid decline around the world, particularly in the two Caribbean species Acropora palmata and Orbicella faveolata. These species are stony corals that have been unable to reproduce and grow fast enough to keep up with the recent bleaching events and outbreaks of disease. Coral microfragments have been observed to grow at a much faster rate, but little is known about the biochemical process behind this rapid growth. The Hippo growth pathway, which is a biochemical process that has been identified in Drosophila and humans, is involved in tissue growth and regeneration. We are examining this pathway to determine if it is involved in the rapid growth found in coral microfragments. First we used timelapse photography to determine which tissue undergoes rapid growth. RNA is extracted from the identified tissues and RT-qPCR is used to investigate if the Hippo growth pathway is expressed during tissue regeneration after microfragmentation. Further research should focus on if the pathway operates in other coral species and whether the pathway can be manipulated to cause increased growth rates. This project is imperative to determining if coral can be induced for faster growth rates so that outplanting can occur quicker to aid reef restoration efforts.

The Mediterranean sea is one of the most threatened areas of the world. The rapid transformations that all the planet is witnessing are multiplied in this small but crowded sea, where the rapid decline of ecosystems and resources is a fact. Alien species spreading, overfishing, local urbanistic pressures, pollution and climate change (especially water warming and acidification) are deeply transforming coastal areas at an accelerating path. The loss of complexity and biodiversity is an unquestionable fact that has an uneasy resolution. On the one hand, one of the main problems is the lack of empathy with the marine ecosystems, because we don’t see them and we think that the oceans can absorb the multiple impacts to which they are exposed. On the other hand, a serious restoration plan for the benthic communities, a “reforestation” approach, does not exists in the Mediterranean sea. We need to introduce the “gardening” concept. What we need is making a mix between Ocean Literacy and direct citizen action to make an ambitious restoration plan. The present project presents an applied solution for marine restoration in which the protagonist is the citizen. Families, individuals, leisure collectives, children and teenagers, everybody is directly involved, with the aid of a professional team, to restore damaged coastal ecosystems. The program adapts to the local needs; for example, in the Spanish Northern areas, red coral (Corallium rubrum) sanctuaries are promoted (this precious coral is an endangered species), whilst in the Southern areas the mollusk Pinna nobilis (a long lived bivalve devastated by a parasite) is one of the main restoration targets. Sociology and economic features of the restoration areas are part of our bottom-up plan, being fishermen, tourist operators, SCUBA divers, etc. involved from the beginning, attending their needs in front of such drastic changes.

Hurricanes are known to cause damage to coral reefs through dislodgement, substrate destabilization, and mortality. The effects of hurricanes on coral nurseries, however, remains poorly understood. As the number of coral restoration projects grows and projected frequency of hurricanes increases across the Caribbean, understanding this relationship is critical. Here we examined damage caused by two hurricanes (Matthew, October 2016; Irma, September 2017) to an in situ Acropora cervicornis nursery. Fragments were grown in a nursery off Fort Lauderdale, Florida on two different structures: 1 m3 concrete modules and coral trees. Data were collected pre and post-storm, documenting survival, fragmentation, disease, and biological interactions. Increased colony mortality on both structures was observed following each storm lasting for multiple monitoring events. Variability between structures and storms were also reported for missing, broken, and diseased colonies. High abundance of missing colonies were reported for both structures following Matthew, but only observed for coral trees following Irma. Additionally, Irma caused widespread physical damage to both structures and a significant increase in disease prevalence. Colony mortality on the modules increased significantly two-months following Irma, indicating delayed storm mortality. These results indicate hurricanes can cause extensive mortality, disease, and damage throughout nurseries that can linger for months after the storm has passed. Practitioners should be prepared for these impacts with short and long term plans in place prior to an incoming storm.

Coral reefs are under serious threat from coastal development, pollution and overfishing, in addition to increasing pressure from the impacts of climate change. As a consequence of climate change-related warming there has been global mass bleaching of coral reefs, and more than 60% of coral reefs worldwide are threatened. “Blue Restoration” (i.e. the restoration of coastal marine environments) is necessary to ensure the provision of benefits from coral reef habitats, via ecosystem services. In order to make efficient decisions on how and where to spend the limited funds allocated to coral reef restoration, managers need accurate estimates of the benefits and costs of restoration interventions. The value of the benefits provided by coral reefs have been measured, but reporting on costs is inconsistent or omitted entirely from published restoration literature. For costs that have been reported, there is a large variation within and between intervention type, location, and study species. This leads to large uncertainty when planning new coral reef restoration projects, which discourages risk-averse investors. If coral reef restoration is to be deployed at the scale necessary to halt deterioration, restoration finance needs to quantify the uncertainty surrounding cost estimates. To this end, we have designed a survey for coral reef restoration practitioners, to investigate accuracy and bias within restoration costs reported in published literature. We sent surveys to 66 coral reef restoration practitioners, researchers, and managers, who had previously indicated a willingness to provide cost data. Here, we present initial results of this survey, and encourage participation in financing of coral reef restoration.

The National Park of Cancún and Isla Mujeres is one of the most visited areas in Mexico, it was established as a marine protected area in 1996 with the purpose of ensuring the conservation of the coral reefs. Some of its greatest threats are storms, hurricans, tourist impacts and ship groundings, so there have been 23 groundings afected 7378 m2 of reefs. In the period of 2004-2005 it was critical because there were 3 different hurricanes, including Wilma, a level 5 in the Saffir-Simpson scale. There were some reefs that were severely impacted and the level of devastation in some of these reefs included not only broken corals, but the destruction of the rocky basement in extent areas. In order to attend the damaged sites, the National Park has implemented two strategies, one was to close the impacted sites for a public use and the second was to implement a coral nursering, transplant and restore damaged reef sites. In 2010 a nursery project started in order to grow coral fragments obtained from broken coral colonies. The project has been working in colaboration with the Fisheries National Institute (INAPESCA) and it has two reef sites where the work has done in order to recover the coral cover, the spatial heterogeneity and some other ecological features. Since 2010 there have been growth 7699 coral fragments of several species in the nurserie and they were trasplanted in two damaged reefs, one of them called Manchones in 2016. Some of the colonies of elkhorn transplanted 6 years ago in Manchones spawned for the first time. Other sites such as "Cuevones" currently present a reef recovery due to the success of the restoration actions and prohibitions for nautical activities promoting their resilience.

Sarawak is one of the biggest state in Malaysia, located between the latitude 0º 50'and 5’N and longitude 109º 36' and 115 º 40'E. Sarawak has the second longest coastline 1051km in Malaysia, thus the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Sarawak occupies the southern part of the South China Sea with an area of 160,000 km² (area 124,449.5 sq km). The coral reef biodiversity study was carried out from year 2004 to 2008. The aim was to collect baseline data on the corals and coral associated living resources. Study area were divided into four areas, Kuching, Bintulu to Miri, Luconia and Lawas. A total of 203 species, 66 genera and 13 families of stony coral (198 species and 62 genera of zooxanthellae Scleractinia) was founded in the Sarawak waters, with the species belonging to Acroporidae being dominant. Most of the coral reefs in Sarawak are found offshore, with the depth more than 18m and geographically patchy. With this study, the state authority will come out with a management plan and gazette this area as a marine parks area or multiple use marine parks area. All depends on the dialogue or forum between the management authority and local communities. Beside that, coral restoration should be conducted around Sarawak Waters including awareness.

This ethnographic research in the Caribbean Sea off Colombia approaches coral restoration through the mutual dependencies of corals, fish, scientists, and black islanders and fishers. It explores how coral nurseries are also nurseries for fish, scientists, and the marine territories of islanders. It is based on 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork as a volunteer in various restoration programs and through experiences of daily life in the Rosario archipelago. It argues that the continuation of coral restoration in the Caribbean of Colombia relies not only on the ability of scientists to advance science and technologies of restoration but also on the will of black islanders and fishers to recognize the reefs in process of restoration as their own. It means that restoration cannot continue without taking into account the black islanders’ and fishers’ interests. This research explores the interactions between scientists and islanders and what it has implied in terms of coral reef composition and the practices of fishing, eco-tourism, and restoration in the archipelago.

Expedition Akumal, a community-led reef restoration project in Quintana Roo, Mexico, began in 2014 with the installation of coral nurseries of 35 fragments of Acropora cervicornis collected from the seafloor. Propagation of these fragments developed the nurseries at 2 sites with 350 coral fragments and over 500 transplanted onto the reef substrate. Transplantation showed 90% survival rates within the first 2 months, and an increase in both abundance and diversity of fish within the restoration sites. Experimenting with distinct transplantation protocols has shown mixed results, and motivated the development of novel techniques for out-planting corals. Partnership with Dr Anastazia Banaszak at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, led to the implementation of a coral spawning observation and gamete collection program, achieving the first recorded instance of coral spawning in Akumal in August 2017. The gametes collected were fertilised in our on-site temporary lab, with a high fertilisation rate (80%), producing approx. 3000 primary polyps. Collaboration is the key behind the longevity of the project, with stakeholders such as the local hotel and dive center providing logistical support for researchers and volunteer dive professionals to carry out the nursery work. Involving the local community in reef restoration has supported the integrity of the program, focussing on sustainable rejuvenation of the coral populations, rather than commercial targets. This also facilitates continuation of the restoration project by the Dive Center volunteers, reducing the reliance on small grants and funding. Additionally, the training we provide for dive instructors and snorkel guides benefits each individual’s professional development and has successfully integrated capacity building with community action, increasing ecosystem ownership and raising awareness. Our research direction for this year is incorporate micro-fragmentation using the nursery-reared corals and to increase the survival of juvenile corals generated from assisted fertilisation to diversify the genetics of our restored population. We continue to work with the local community and are planning to formalise training with certification for next year’s volunteers.

Site selection can be challenging in restoration, as the relationship of colony fitness and survival between nursery and outplanted coral fragments is not necessarily linear. Nearshore nursery-reared fragments (n=7 genets) were used to derive a cumulative thermal stress model that adequately matched the anecdotal bleaching threshold for A. cervicornis in the region. We examined the relationship between metabolism (see poster by H. A. Martell) and growth, disease prevalence, and bleaching prevalence of both nursery and outplanted corals on the inner, middle, and outer reefs of the Southeast Florida Reef Tract, exploiting several years of in situ temperature and monitoring data. This technique offers the ability to combine a relatively simple lab-based model with real time environmental data to aid managers in site selection. It also can reveal genet-level differences in thermal performance. The efficacy and potential applicability of this model will be presented in the context of growth, bleaching prevalence, and disease prevalence for use in restoration programs.

Coral reefs are dynamic ecosystems that currently face endangerment and extinction from the effects of climate change. Restoration projects aim to assist in the recovery of these fragile ecosystems and enhance their resiliency. Because no formal statistical review of the effects of coral reef restoration on coral reefs exists, and assuming coral restoration has a quantifiable effect on coral reefs, I determined meta-analyses would summarize the overall effects of coral restoration. To test the hypothesis that coral restoration efforts have a significant effect on coral abundance and ecological functionality, I conducted meta-analyses to assess the effects of restoration on specific measures that influence abundance and ecological functionality. The initial literature review produced 603 papers, and after applying exclusion criteria, there were 28 studies applicable for use in the meta-analyses. The effects of coral restoration on these anticipated outcomes were not significant: Coral Growth overall effect size (ES) = 0.14, p = 0.96, n = 17; Coral Recruitment ES = -0.03, p = 0.97, n = 7; Fish Abundance ES = -0.41, p = 0.73, n = 5; Fish Richness ES = -0.14, p = 0.47, n = 5; Benthic Cover ES = 1.44, p = 0.37, n = 3. These overall effect sizes show that coral restoration does not significantly alter the state of coral reefs when compared to their natural counter-parts. Despite these findings, certain trends in restoration location, species used, and methodology employed may advise future restoration projects to improve the outcomes of coral reef restoration efforts.

As public awareness around the issue of marine litter and microplastics increases, so do public and private sector measures to reduce waste in the ocean. However, the extent of marine litter and microplastic (ranging from 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm) occurrence across ocean biomes and species remains poorly characterized, particularly in remote difficult to access places such as the deep ocean, making it challenging to assess where spatial management is needed and what measures would help achieve this. For example, the United Kingdom declared large knowledge gaps for the seafloor environment and a lack of baseline values to help set targets towards implementing the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MFSD) that sets out to ensure Good Environmental Status (GES) of European waters by 2020. The MFSD establishes 11 descriptors to assess GES, this study focuses on Descriptor 10: that marine litter does not cause harm. The present study is the first assessment of marine litter and microplastics in a continental shelf marine protected area (MPA) in UK waters. Extent of marine litter was quantified at two (Mingulay and Banana) cold-water coral reefs in the East Mingulay MPA (Sea of the Hebrides) through systematic reviews of seven research expedition reports from 2003 to 2012 and annotating 41 hours of video surveys conducted in 2012. Reviews of expedition reports resulted in 6 recorded instances of litter out of 217 benthic stations. In every case the litter was fishing related; nets, rope, gear and plastic tarpaulin. Microscopic analysis of trypsin-digested gut contents from benthic reef macrofauna (n=112) showed 9% had ingested microplastics, all within the 0.2 - 0.5mm size fraction. Ingestion differences in microplastic occurrence were observed across feeding guilds, with microplastics observed more frequently in suspension and filter-feeders. Besides establishing a baseline assessment of marine litter and microplastics in this MPA, the approach demonstrates the utility of using historic data and specimens collected for other purposes to expand the geographic and ecosystem coverage for GES assessments.

The Government of Mauritius is committed to ensuring responsible and sustainable development of the aquaculture industry in the island. Thirty-one sites have been allocated for marine-based aquaculture both lagoonal and offshore exploitation. One of the criticisms normally levied against floating cage aquaculture is the impact on the biodiversity in the surrounding waters. The objectives of this research were to assess in and around each potential and operational aquaculture site: (1) the water quality, as affected by seasonal variation, (2) the biodiversity, (3) the heavy metal in sediment, water and fish, (4) the distribution patterns, biomass estimates and diversity of planktons, and, (5) the survival and growth rates of cultured and natural reef-building corals. Methodologies included line transect intercept (LIT) for coral assessment, a variety of visual census techniques for biodiversity assessment including fish, plankton were sampled using a variety of plankton nets and analysed in laboratory-based microscopy techniques while coral growth were calculated using the scion-image software. Results showed the presence of various species of fishes and nudibranchs on the seabed just below the nets as well as on the ropes, cetaceans (e.g. Tursiops aduncus) and several green sea turtles (e.g. Chelonia mydas). Fluorescence sea light equipment showed the presence of coral recruits of 1-2 cm on the fixed floating buoys and ropes. Most of the parameters were within the acceptable range, except for total suspended solids, nitrates and phosphates which were slightly over the recommended values as per the Mauritius Coastal Water Quality Guidelines. Diatoms dominated the abundance with 33 genera followed by 11 genera of dinoflagellates and 3 genera of cyanobacteria. Coral cultured had a >80% survivorship and they were tested under two conditions with one cleaned for fouling organisms while the second aspect was to allow growth of cultured corals on their own. Result revealed a slight difference in growth performance between both conditions. These data revealed that the current fish farm studied is not causing damage to the surrounding marine environment.

Varadero reef is located in the Bay of Cartagena, Colombia, adjacent to the Canal del Dique, which carries turbid water into the bay. Despite the highly turbid water column and proximity to shore, Varadero is flourishing; it is about 1km2 in size, with 80% coral cover and containing mostly coral species in the genus Orbicella. This reef has only recently been discovered due to the fact that the environmental conditions of the bay have long been perceived as incompatible with reef survival. As a result, much of its biology remains unstudied and unknown. Varadero reef’s survival in undesirable conditions makes it an excellent study site to answer questions on the relationship between the coral microbiome and coral resiliency. The aim of this study is to determine whether the microbiomes in Varadero differ from microbiomes and corals in other regions of the Caribbean that have been unaffected by pollution and a turbid water column. This study will be the first to characterize the microbiome of the water column and sediment of Varadero Reef. Preliminary results from a reciprocal transplant done with corals from Varadero and Rosario (a more “pristine” site) show that survivorship rate was highest in Varadero compared to Rosario and a highly polluted site by the mouth of the bay, suggesting key differences in the biology of Varadero reef.

Tropical cyclones can cause a wide variety of damage to the reef ranging from mild, partial damage and even total damage that includes death of many organisms. Hard corals most affected by hurricanes and tropical storms in the Mexican Caribbean are Acropora palmata, Acropora cervicornis, and some boulder species. These species are key in coastal protection. Without any intervention, broken coral colonies can be dragged by the current and swell, and buried under the sediment, suffer tissue loss, abrasion and further damage. If rehabilitation response actions are performed immediately after a cyclone, the risk of subsequent damage to the impacted corals is reduced. These actions include removing debris from disaster generated by the cyclone; right and secure overturned and dislodged boulders; reattach broken fragments; stabilize structural fractures; unearth buried colonies; and secure loose rubble. The success of the timely response to such event is essential to initiate the process of restoring the function and structure in the reef and to enhance subsequent restoration efforts. Given that Puerto Morelos Reef National Park, located in Quintana Roo, Mexico, is an area with a high incidence of tropical cyclones, a practical protocol has been designed to respond immediately to these events. The Early Warning and Immediate Response Protocol aims to guide park managers and response brigades on the actions that must be considered before, during and after a tropical cyclone, in order to minimize the impact on coral reefs.

In February 2018, an outbreak of coral disease with multiple pathologies was observed at the Killer Pillar dive site in the West Bay Marine Park off Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman. By June 2018, seven individual colonies of Dendrogyra cylindrus were infected by a combination of black-band and white-plague coral disease. Within a few months, the disease had spread rapidly both within and between colonies of D. cylindrus leading to high levels of partial mortality and morbidity of the infected colonies. Because this charismatic coral is rare and based on the rapid and catastrophic losses of D. cylindrus in Florida from 2014-2017 to a similar combination of diseases, it was determined that rapid intervention was warranted. An emergency triage plan was initiated and included using a combination of methods. These included: (1) placing silicon tape around the pillar directly above the active disease band to halt the progression of the disease, (2) the application of quick-setting underwater epoxy directly to the active disease band to smother the active disease, (3) removal of healthy tissue fragments for propagation at local coral nurseries, and (4) the salvage of whole pillars from the diseased colonies. To accomplish the latter, the healthy portions of the upright pillars were sawed off above the active disease band by science officers of the Department of Environment, Cayman Islands. These pillars were then relocated to a new location away from the disease site and reattached directly to the reef using Portland cement. In total, 16 individual pillars were relocated in the restoration effort. Based upon preliminary results, it appears that active intervention and rapid relocation of the pillars has been successful (100% initial survivorship with no active disease signs). Due to the initial success of the operation, additional pillars are slated to be relocated within the next few weeks (August 2018). If longer-term monitoring results prove equally successful, the salvage, relocation and restoration of actively diseased coral colonies could become an everyday tool in the restoration toolbox for coral reef managers.

St. Martin island is the only coral habitat in Bangladesh although the status is not good due to heavy anthropological impact, mostly from tourism in recent years. other than the climatic factors locally man-made factors posing the biggest threats to coral habitat and also making coral conservation difficult. Several Factors affecting the coral frame currently in St. Martin Island, viz., trash Plastic over the frame on coral colony, ghost net including mono-filament threads, beverage can, sedimentation, anchor damage, dragging and displacing. The physical disturbances are also intense along the whole north and east nearshore habitat due to fishing boats and tourist vessel interventions in the area. Corals have been recorded to have lower growth rate and in some cases destroyed. Out of 9 frames all have records of sedimentation and plastics or any other human induces garbage’s. There is still safe coral frame area not allocated by the government as the activity is still not within government restoration program. MLA is conducting restoration program and with the Department of Environment partnership the program is being slowly scaling up in 2018-19. The mooring buoy for the island fishing boats and small tourist vessels are not yet developed although only piloting has been completed by Marinelife Alliance(MLA) during 2015-16 with local technology. Everyday during peak tourist season large number of direct anchoring happened causing severe damage to coral colonies. Trash management is totally absent in the island, although several Gob project completed during the last 2 decade. Activities essential for the coral island protection lacking in the project program are the major causes of such impediments. The development of protected area systems also not in place and still no proper MPA has been developed. The MLA researchers convinced the islanders to keep the western zone as no take areas and named it as locally managed marine area (LMMA). Other legislation and enforcement needed to protect coral habitat through reduction of threats from multidimensional sources, viz., sedimentation from large tourist vessel, direct anchor damage, recreational activities over rocky coral intertidal habitat, littering garbage and other sewage based pollution.

In the Mexican Caribbean, reef restoration using coral fragments is extremely popular. Nevertheless, the short- and long-term performance of coral fragments in in situ nurseries and in the reef environment is under-reported. To determine the importance of genotype in the long-term survival of Acropora palmata fragments in nurseries, we selected eight colonies of distinct genotypes. Nine fragments were obtained from each colony and acclimated in an in-situ nursery for one month. During this acclimation period, we recorded a reduction (44-55%) in the survival of fragments from three genotypes, suggesting that some genotypes are more susceptible to fragmentation than others. After the acclimation period, the fragments were transplanted to two environments (reef crest and reef lagoon) and periodically monitored to evaluate growth, light absorptance and survivorship. Eight months after being transplanted, there were no statistically significant differences in growth or light absorptance. However, we observed a 25% reduction in the survival of fragments from three genotypes in the reef crest nursery compared with the fragments transplanted to the nursery in the reef lagoon. To determine the effect of environmental characteristics on fragment survivorship, we evaluated the condition of A. palmata fragments in 35 nurseries at 7 sites that had been established along the Mexican Caribbean. In two of the sites, the fragment survival was greater than 80%. However, in the rest of the nurseries fragment survival was extremely low, ranging between 0 and 3%. It was not possible to establish a relationship between the environmental conditions at the sites with fragment status. Although the genotypic component is underestimated in most of the restauration projects in the Mexican Caribbean, our results suggest that both in the short- and long-term, the genotype of the mother colony could be a factor that affects fragment survival in coral nurseries and after being out planted.

Several government and private organizations have expended much effort to restore degraded coral reefs in many locations in Thai waters over the past three decades. The projects had a range of objectives, at various scales and different methods. We reanalyzed coral reef restoration projects in Thailand in the last decade, particularly after the severe coral bleaching event in the year 2010. Our objectives were to examine the long-term achievements of selected coral reef restoration projects and propose future restoration initiatives to cope with global change impacts. The high cost and limited scale of restoration projects are still main factors that governments and communities have to prevent damage to coral reefs in the first place. Therefore, the coral reef restoration plans in Thailand highlighted on using passive restoration to reduce negative impacts of tourism, water pollution, sedimentation and fisheries. Provision of designed artificial substrates for natural coral recruitment and attaching coral fragments to PVC pipe frames in the coral nursery area are active restoration methods which have been widely applied in Thailand. The Mu Koh Chang Coral Reef Demonstration Site in Trat Province, Thailand under the UNEP/GEF Project on Reversing Environmental Degradation Trends in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand established a demonstration site for coral restoration for the benefit of tourism, education, public awareness, and research. Natural coral fragments were used and the restoration techniques and methods were simple, using cheap materials available from local communities. The stable hard substrates were also provided for coral recruitment. The coral reef management and restoration project in tourist hot spots in the Gulf of Thailand was initiated and funded by the network of provinces in the eastern Thailand following the 2010 coral bleaching event. The major concerns for future active coral restoration projects are transplantation of high genetic diversity populations, high tolerant species to climate change induced bleaching from shallow reef flats and multi-species. The innovative methods for protection of corals from bleaching, enhancing coral survival rates in the nursery areas and appropriate management plans of resilient sites are also urgently needed.

Mooring and boundary buoys, semi-permanent anchoring devices, prevent anchor damage while controlling activities and access to coral reefs. This system of passive protection can be utilized by commercial and recreational boaters/divers in place of anchoring near or on coral reefs and associated sensitive habitats. Within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) there are approximately 800 buoys with 29,000 feet of downline, and over 500 of those buoys are available for public use as moorings. Mooring buoys, white 18” and 24” diameter buoys with a blue stripe, are installed on sites identified by public interest, high usage, and ecological or historical significance. These buoys are installed to provide enough bottom clearance and swing radius for most vessels in normal conditions. In addition to preventing anchor damage, mooring buoys can aid divers in ascents/descents, support distressed swimmers/snorkelers, act as aids to navigation, and serve as reference points for research. Sanctuary Preservation Areas (SPAs), marked by large 36” diameter yellow buoys, protect distinct, biologically important areas that assist in sustaining critical marine species and habitats. Regulations for SPAs are designed to limit consumptive activities and separate users with differing activities, while creating a visual boundary aiding in navigation and supporting law enforcement. RFKNMS resource managers are responsible for not only the preservation and conservation of the marine environment, but also accommodating use by the public. Through dynamic a process of management plan review and draft environmental impact statements, FKNMS periodically reevaluates its mooring sites and boundaries in order to balance these two seemingly contradictory responsibilities. Given the thousands of recreational boaters that visit the sanctuary annually, the importance of the mooring and boundary buoys as passive protection to prevent coral loss is incalculable. ***Note: the 1st choice (oral presentation) would be a video. the 2nd choice would be an oral presentation.

Coral reefs are declining throughout our global oceans. These declines can be attributed to local drivers (sedimentation, pollution, overfishing, tourism and development) and global drivers (climate change, ocean acidification). Both local and global drivers have profound implications for coral communities, which have experienced increased prevalence of coral disease and higher levels of mortality. Coral diseases in the Indo-Pacific have recently been identified as one of the 15 most globally important environmental issues that require conservation attention. Diseases lead to reduced coral growth, fitness, fecundity and/or colony mortality. Coral colonies undergo a series of biological stress responses starting at the subcellular level and ending with macroscopic lesions or death. This response cascade includes changes to immune function, cellular structure, metabolite profiles, internal and surface microbial communities, and behaviour, and, ultimately, to loss of tissue integrity and tissue death. The strength and speed of coral immune response reflect their capacity to resist infection and their ability to recover. There is an urgent need for tools that address how climate change and human activities affect coral reefs. This NASA-funded project will refine and expand previous coral disease prediction models to a wider range of coral species, diseases, and geographic regions. With the use of satellite imagery, in-water coral monitoring, and assays of coral microbiome, metabolite profiles, and cell structure, we are investigating visible and pre-visible coral responses to infection to inform and refine predictive models at the ecosystem scale. This project aims to develop better models of coral disease outbreak and embed these improved forecasts into the NOAA Coral Reef Watch decision support system (DSS) with increased spatial resolution of SST predictions (5 km), newly available coastal coral color metrics, and expanded application to several different coral diseases, host species, and regions. Improved prediction of coral disease outbreaks can provide the opportunity to proactively manage at-risk areas – including in areas where coral restoration activities occur. Proactive management by reef managers may limit other synergistic anthropogenic impacts, such as dredging, when models predict high disease incidence.

Coral reef ecosystems have been in decline in recent decades due to several stressors, both natural and anthropogenic. Due to these significant declines, there has been a need for restoration of many coral species, particularly within the Caribbean genus Acropora. As part of restoration efforts for acroporid species present in the Caribbean, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in conjunction with Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), is establishing a coral nursery at Great Stirrup Cay, an island owned by NCL in the Bahamas. The goal of this project is to determine which acroporid species performs best in a nursery setting, and whether species, genotype and/or fragment type affects the growth and survival of acroporid corals. To test these variables, two acroporid species, Acropora cervicornis, Acropora palmata, and their hybrid, Acropora prolifera, will be used in the study. A pilot study will be conducted to test the efficiency of the new nursery. Experimental fragments of corals will be placed in the nursery after the pilot study, and will be differentiated by species, genotype (six genotypes per species), and fragment type (apical, middle, or basal). Linear growth and percent mortality data for each fragment will be collected on monthly maintenance trips. Overall, this data will allow us to examine what species, genotype, and fragment type performs best in a nursery setting, which will have implications for future nurseries. For this poster, preliminary data from the pilot study and the experimental corals will be presented.

The worldwide decrease in coral cover often reflects the impact of accelerated and poorly planned development of coastal human communities. This is the case of the Pacific coast of northern Costa Rica, which 20 years ago was considered one of the sites with the greatest reef development in the country. Today the reef is significantly deteriorated, due to a combination of both natural phenomena, such as El Niño, and anthropogenic disturbances such as water eutrophication and over fishing. There is much interest in assisting the recovery of these reefs, which will require a combination of coastal management and active reef restoration. We are evaluating ex-situ coral culture for its utility in active restoration of the two main reef building species of this region: massive Porites spp. and branching Pocillopora spp. The controlled conditions allow us to evaluate factors affecting their survival and growth in culture. Preliminary results suggest high survival for both species (Porites spp. = 77% and Pocillopora spp. = 83%) as well as rapid growth rates (Porites spp. = 1.62 cm2/month and Pocillopora spp. = 0.30 cm2/month). The survival and growth rates of Porites spp., in particular, are higher than those for the same species cultivated in underwater nurseries on the Pacific coast of southern Costa Rica (Villalobos et al. in prep.). We hypothesize that ex situ cultivation eliminates competition of Porites microfragments with algae and other organisms that settle on the ceramic discs. We also observe that growth rates of Pocillopora spp. mounted on ceramic discs are slower than those suspended by monofilament. We present the pros and cons of in situ versus ex situ culture for these important Pacific species of Latin America.

In Hawaii, much of the State’s Coral Restoration Nursery’s activities and its out-planting of large coral colony modules is currently being funded through either settlements from Responsible Parties for unplanned coral reef impact cases in State waters, or through cooperatively-derived mitigation or offsets for impacts to coastal and nearshore marine habitats for planned activities such as dredging, coastal development, submerged habitat modification, etc. This is accomplished through an innovative coral ecological services and function tool developed by the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources and used to evaluate both planned and unplanned impact sites relative to coral colony size, form, rarity and endemism; along with subhabitat-type substrates that the colonies occur on. In a similar fashion, the same tool can be used to plan the amount of restoration required to be outplanted to offset the planned loss or to compensate for the lost services and functions from an unplanned event. The complete annual costs of running the Coral Restoration Nursery (along with coral acquisition, baseline survey costs of both determined impact and outplant sites, outplanting costs and monitoring costs) are then divided by the total number of coral colony modules that can be annually produced to get a per-colony module cost. The sum costs of the total modules required to be outplanted determines the mitigation project costs; such a method is easily transferable to other jurisdictions looking to fund both restoration and mitigation activities. This poster presentation will walk you through the process and show how the restoration targets are derived based on the impacts incurred.

The National Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Mexico is working on a reef restoration project where techniques are developed to optimize the production of coral colonies. In this year, the production of corals has been made by microfragmentation, technique developed by Dr. David Vaughan of the MOTE Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, in order to optimize the production of coral tissue. However, the application of new techniques implies new problems that have to be solved. In the microfragmentation process, the injury that is produced by the cut leaves exposed the coral skeleton making it susceptible to infections caused mainly by ciliates. These infections have been treated with a germicidal and fungicidal iodine solution, in concentrations and time already tested, obtaining favorable results in almost all cases. There are antibiotic-resistant ciliates, such as the ciliate Halofolliculina sp., which represented a potential problem during the March to May, 2018 causing significant losses in the production. To eradicate this ciliate, good practices in aquaculture were implemented, such as: to improve the input water quality in the systems, to supply minerals and vitamins for cultivate corals, and to install a temperature control. As a result of these actions, at the moment this ciliate is controlled (not eradicated) and work is being carried out to improve the facilities to prevent the entry of any pathogen that causes losses to the corals in cultivation.

With the decline of hard coral coverage in the Florida Reef Tract, the Coral Restoration Foundation TM (CRF) has been working to integrate the non-Acroporid corals, mainly Orbicella favelota and O. annularis into the restoration program for several years. This process seeks to develop an image-based monitoring system for the boulder coral species that are housed within CRF’s genetic bank. There are six representative fragments of each genotype across the two species that are placed on cards and left to grow on a horizontal plane on modified nursery-tree structures. Images are segmented using Adobe Photoshop by outlining the individual coral and filling in each outlined area. These images are then exported from Photoshop and analyzed in an ImageJ software system to extract growth metrics, such as coral area coverage. These metrics are used to calculate the growth standards and trends for each genotype of Orbicella, which creates a baseline of nursery performance data, which can eventually add into outplant monitoring and tracking. The growth results provide information on the performance of the different genotypes, as well as document the success of our nursery production methods, which will help develop and implement the most efficient process for restoration techniques. This is a future step to understand how nursery performance predicts coral performance.

Restoration or assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed, may become critical in areas without enough intact coral reef habitat left to protect due to climate change, coastal development, pollution, and overfishing. However, restoration decisions are often impeded by the lack of information about cost and feasibility and the specific reasons why to restore. Here, we synthesise data from the restoration literature to evaluate restoration cost, survival of restored organisms, project duration, area, and techniques which have been employed on coral reefs around the world. Findings showed that restoration cost had an overall global median of 471,621 US$ ha-1 (2010 US$). Grouped by techniques, the median cost ranged between 5,616 US$ ha-1 for the nursery phase of the coral gardening approach and 3,911,240 US$ ha-1 for substrate addition to build an artificial reef. Restoration projects were mostly short-lived (1-2 years), carried out over small experimental scales (0.01 ha), and reported 60.9% as the median survival of restored corals. The main motivations to restore coral reefs were to further our knowledge and improve the methodological approach while growth and survival were the main variables monitored. Most studies reported an ecological outcome, seldom joined with social or socio- economic results. The findings and database may support practitioners tasked to make decisions on whether, what, how, where, how much, and why to restore. The current challenge for coral reef restoration is to scale-up restoration efforts to reasonable ecological, social and economic scales and over longer time periods.