Seascape Caribbean was contracted by Smith Warner International Ltd. in 2017 to culture and plant 300 golden branching corals to their artificial reef project as remediation for engineered limestone groynes and beach. Seascape Caribbean brought Coralive.org, our collaborating specialists in the electrification of submerged steel for initial structural habitat works. This project's silvicultural-approach horizontal frame nurseries were deployed and populated in the fall of 2018 and will be planted by in May of 2019.
BACKGROUND
Acroporid corals are particularly rare in the modern Negril due to chronic disease, tourist/boat and storm impacts. This rarity necessitates particularly careful collection and culture with minimized impact or stress to the parent colonies.
The site is shallow and subject to wide swings in salinity and in temperature, as well as to tourism and fishing vessels and to spear and net fishers.
The structure and corals will be subject to storm waves and periodic green algae blooms, requiring a particularly durable elevated nursery.
PROJECT GOALS
Provide an ecologically equitable remediation for development impacts.
Turn a remediation cost into an income-generating guest activity and marketable asset.
Improve staghorn/elkhorn coral populations within the Negril area as a discrete area of multiple genetic lineages for improved spawning and fertilization capacity.
SOLUTIONS
Find adequate parent coral material for the project within the Negril area, including those of previous projects.
Develop a nursery protocol for very small nubbin and/or microfragments to minimize impacts to the meagre parent population within project/client goals.
Develop a nursery process for sometimes energetic shallow water set below any freshwater lens, yet above blooming macro algae with tidal and boat collision considerations.
Post marker buoys and signage.