"Ten percent of the big fish still remain. There are still some blue whales. There are still some krill in Antarctica. There are a few oysters in Chesapeake Bay.

Half the coral reefs are still in pretty good shape, a jeweled belt around the middle of the planet. There's still time, but not a lot, to turn things around."

- Sylvia Earl

Coral Restoration

Bay Islands Reef Restoration is growing two important endangered corals that were once the most abundant and important species on Caribbean reefs.

Elkhorn coral

(Acropora palmata)

Staghorn coral

(Acropora cervicornis)

Restoring Endangered Coral Species

Staghorn coral resembles the multiple pointed antlers of a male deer, or a stag.

Similar to its relative, Elkhorn coral, Staghorn provides important three-dimensional habitat for other reef animals, especially fish.

Staghorn coral was once one of the most common coral found on Caribbean reefs. In the early 1980s, a severe disease event caused major mortality throughout its range and now the population is less than 3 percent of its former abundance.

Elkhorn coral is one of the key reef building coral species in the Caribbean.

Its antler-shaped branches can create thickets that provide shelter for many other reef species.

Although once abundant, scientists estimate that since the early 1980’s the abundance of Elkhorn coral has declined by around 97%.

In May 2006, Elkhorn coral was officially listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Declines and abundance of Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) in Florida and Caribbean are estimated at greater than 97% in some regions!

The situation

The two species of Acropora coral selected for Roatan’s new nurseries were once the most abundant and important species on Caribbean coral reefs.

These corals were building reef structure and three-dimensional habitat for marine life.

Elkhorn corals (Acropora palmata) and Staghorn corals (Acropora cervicornis) underwent serious declines in abundance in the 1970s and 1980s and were listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act in 2006. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have estimated that the Caribbean has lost more than 97 percent of these vital corals in some regions. Disease, elevated seawater temperature, pollution, and other stressors account for these losses.

The Nursery

The nursery trees, which are constructed out of PVC, fiberglass rods, and marine epoxy, are attached to the sea floor with moorings and suspended in mid-water with subsurface floats.

The coral nurseries are stocked with coral fragments from multiple genotypes of Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) and Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis). The coral fragments are “hung,” or attached, to the trees using monofilament and metal crimps. We stock the trees with either “fragments of opportunity,” loose coral fragments that have broken off Elkhorn or Staghorn colonies, or from end-tip clippings of less than 10% of the coral tissue of a healthy colony.

Each tree has one single genotype of corals attached to preserve genetic diversity. This is very important for monitoring and to determine the resilience of different genotypes to create healthy thickets of closely grouped corals that can more readily sexually reproduce through successful spawning.

Outplanting nursery-raised corals is a fun, challenging and rewarding experience. Outplanting properly is the key to successful coral restoration.

We select corals from the nursery for outplanting when the corals are healthy and large enough to thrive back on the reef. Staghorn corals are ready for outplanting when they are fairly large (30-40 cm long) with multiple branches and no dead or diseased spots. Elkhorn will be the size of a hand or larger (10 cm for small corals and 20 cm for large corals).

We outplant Corals in clusters (ten for staghorn coral and three for elkhorn coral). Each cluster will contain coral fragments that were sourced from the same parent colony (same genotype) so they will fuse as they grow and mature. After collecting the corals from the nursery, two corals out of every ten for staghorn and for elkhorn one out of three fragments will be tagged to ensure a proper monitoring of growth and health-status. The tags indicate the genotype and cluster.

Staghorn corals are grown in our nurseries for approximately six to nine months before outplanting. Elkhorn corals are grown for approximately nine months to a year. After they have reached a substantial size, they are tagged and taken to a reef restoration site where they are attached directly to the reef using a non-toxic two component marine epoxy. Maintenance and monitoring of reef restoration sites continues years after the original coral outplanting.

Outplanting

Planting Staghorn Coral:

Identify a spot without other live coral, sponges or sea fans
Position the coral where it might naturally find stability and arrange the 10 staghorn corals in a “hoola hoop” sized circle.
Ensure that there are at least 3 points of contact.
Use the brick hammer to clear algae from an oreo-sized circle under each point of contact. Make sure the area is bare, white, substrate clear of debris.
mix the two-party marine epoxy and place a blueberry-sized ball of it in each cleared area.
Press the epoxy into the each cleared area to form a hershy’s kiss shape.
Press the coral into the epoxy
Smooth the epoxy to avoid gaps and ensure secure attachment.
Wave your hand over the coral to ensure it is firmly attached and not wobbly.
Admire your work!

Planting Elkhorn Coral:

Identify a spot without other live coral, sponges or sea fans
Position the coral where it might naturally find stability.
Use the brick hammer to clear algae from an area slightly bigger than the elkhorn to be planted. sure the area is bare, white, substrate and clear of debris.
Place a grape-sized ball of epoxy in the cleared area. Two balls of epoxy may be necessary for large corals.
Press the epoxy into the cleared area to form a hershy’s kiss shape.
Press the coral into the epoxy
Smooth the epoxy to avoid gaps and ensure secure attachment.
Wave your hand over the coral to ensure it is firmly attached and not wobbly.
Admire your work!

To restore our reef we are committed to prevent it from further dying and support the recovery by transplanting nursery raised corals back to the reef - ONE CORAL AT A TIME!

Outplanting procedures

Help us outplant more corals

Become a certified coral restoration diver

Coral growth of Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) compared in one year on a coral tree

Conservationists placing moorings to deploy more coral trees

With the help of Turquoise Bay and Mayan Princess guests and Divemaster candidates from Subway Watersports, we are outplanting hundreds of healthy, nursery-raised corals back onto Roatan reefs. So far, we have accomplished the following:

Outplanted more than 1,150 Staghorn and Elkhorn corals to the Labyrinth and Emily’s Escape dive sites near Turquoise Bay.
Monitored hundreds of outplanted corals and found that 70% of outplants are in place and healthy.
Conducted weekly dive trips to clean and maintain the Turquoise Bay nursery, White Hole, and Seaquest Deep nurseries, which collectively contain more than 1,500 corals.
Established databases to record coral outplant mapping and monitoring; genotype collection locations; and coral nursery health monitoring.
Provided weekly coral restoration educational presentations to the guests of Turquoise Bay and Mayan Princess Resorts.