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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
A brain coral split apart by the Fortuna Reefer grounding.
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(1.31 MB)
A brain coral scarred by the ship grounding
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(1.44 MB)
The reef surrounding Mona Island contains old growth stands of Elkhorn coral,Acropora palmatta. This photograph shows an Elkhorn coral damaged by the shipgrounding and, later, by the removal of the ship from the reef.
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(1.43 MB)
A healthy stand of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta, typically found at thereef prior to the Fortuna Reefer grounding.
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(1.4 MB)
A severed branch of Elkhorn coral at the grounding site.
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(1.37 MB)
Severed branches from an Elkhorn coral stand at Mona Island.
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(1.39 MB)
Coral branches that fell in sand corridors bordering the reef are stressed when they become abraded by rolling in the sand.
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(1.42 MB)
A diver uses a pneumatic drill to create a hole in the reef framework to secureloose coral fragments.
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(1.16 MB)
A diver moves a loose fragment of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta, inpreparation to reattach the fragment.
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(1.22 MB)
A diver replaces gear before continuing to work.
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(1.11 MB)
A diver prepares to reattach an Elkhorn coral fragment.
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(1.28 MB)
A diagram shows the impacted area and the number of corals reattached,within each section, during the restoration.
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(836.68 KB)
One diver prepares to attach coral, another diver works using surface suppliedair.
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(1.33 MB)
Two divers work to reattach a large fragment of Elkhorn coral,Acropora palmatta. The coral in the background has been attached to the reefframework using stainless steel wires. The wire binds the coral fragment tothe living coral where it is expected
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(1.3 MB)
Close up of a diver after a coral is wired into place. A curious wrasse, in theforeground, watches the diver.
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(1.16 MB)
A wired fragment of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmatta. Restoration expertspredict that wire used in the restoration effort will be overgrown by newcoral growth within a few years time.
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(1.34 MB)
A coral fragment reattached using experimental plastic ties. The use of plasticties proved to be unsuccessful because the straps could not be tightened enoughto secure the corals.
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(1.32 MB)
A healthy stand of coral reef
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(1.22 MB)
A close-up image of the stainless steel wire used to reattach a coral fragmentto the reef.
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(1.31 MB)
This image shows the reef framework crushed at ground zero impact.
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(1.4 MB)
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