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National Marine Fisheries Service
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A school of schoolmaster snapper (Lutjanus apodus) in the Caribbean Sea. NMFS is charged with maintaining the health of the nation’s fisheries and protecting important fish habitat, including coral reefs. (Anthony Picciolo)
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Coral reefs and associated habitats support valuable recreational and commercial fisheries in the U.S. More than 50 percent of all federally managed fisheries depend on coral reefs for part of their lifecycle, including more than 500 commercially available fishes and invertebrates, and four species listed as candidates for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Yet, fishery resources and their supporting ecosystems are under increasing pressure. Evidence has indicated that high-value species have been overfished on nearly all U.S. inshore coral reefs adjacent to populated islands, and deeper reefs and more remote locations are at risk as well. Moreover, overfishing may be affecting the ecological balance of reef systems, and inappropriate fishing methods are causing habitat damage. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is mandated by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1996 to reduce such overfishing and fishing-associated impacts on U.S. coral reef ecosystems.
Coral Species and Ecosystem Conservation
Long-term Activities
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The live coral trade targets hundreds of species, with a high preference for massive, large-polyp corals that may be uncommon and are slow-growing. (Andy Bruckner)
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Coral Species and Ecosystem Conservation
In 1998, the NMFS Office of Protected Resources began a two-year Coral Species and Ecosystem Conservation project to determine the biological health of coral species and ecosystems in U.S. waters. During the project’s first phase, NMFS evaluated published information on the distribution and range, population abundance, life history strategies and major threats facing dominant reef-building species in the western Atlantic Ocean. The agency also studied research and management recommendations for coral species that may qualify for listing under the ESA. During the second phase of the project, NMFS worked to compile research on coral species and diseases conducted in the Western Atlantic and the U.S. Pacific Islands.
The project rendered enough information to allow NMFS to develop standardized, photographic identification guides on coral diseases. Researchers throughout the Caribbean are using the guides to collect new information on the types of diseases that affect reef-building corals, the prevalence of these diseases, and their spatial and temporal distribution. Efforts are underway to identify the causes of diseases, determine the role of microorganisms and biotic and abiotic stressors, develop standardized terminology to describe and characterize coral diseases, identify and map global distribution of coral diseases and the species affected, and increase monitoring efforts to determine the rate and impact of diseases on corals. NMFS also is working with the World Conservation Monitoring Centre—part of the United Nations Environment Programme—to develop a global coral disease database, which consolidates coral disease reports into a global, GIS-based database linked to worldwide coral distribution maps.
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While there may be strong evidence that trawling has reduced significant amounts of Oculina to rubble, questions remain regarding other possible causes of mortality such as in this case, where the dead Oculina coral head remains intact.
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Long-term Activities
NMFS also is implementing long-term activities to address certain objectives described in the National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs. They include the following:
Mapping. NMFS is helping the National Ocean Service (NOS) to characterize and map shallow reefs in the Main and Northwest Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). It is working with other partners to map reefs in deeper waters in NWHI, the West Florida Shelf and the Oculina coral-dominated habitats as well.
Monitoring and Assessment. NMFS is supporting coral reef monitoring and assessment programs in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In conjunction with NOS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources, NMFS is assessing reefs of NWHI and the Line and Phoenix Islands. In the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, NMFS is conducting fish and benthic habitat assessments; monitoring reef fishery reserves; identifying causes of reef decline and possible mitigation techniques; and monitoring the recovery of reef species listed as candidates for protection under the ESA. The agency also is deploying a system of moored monitoring stations that can collect information on environmental conditions and possibly provide early warnings of potential threats, like coral bleaching.
Supporting Research. NMFS is supporting research that models trophic interactions of reef species in NWHI and research on understanding the causes of coral mortality and reef decline in the Florida Keys. NMFS also is assessing the effectiveness of no-take reserves and multiple use areas in the Main Hawaiian Islands.
Reducing Fishing Impacts. NMFS is implementing projects that assess essential fish habitat, identify impacts associated with fishing and fishing gear, and others. The agency also is working to improve enforcement efforts in existing and planned no-take fishery reserves in NWHI and the Tortugas in Florida. The agency also will support Regional Fishery Management Councils in incorporating ecosystem-scale management techniques into their fishery management plans for reef areas.
Reducing Marine Debris. NMFS, in conjunction with NOS, is working to clean up over 1,000 metric tons of marine debris from NWHI reefs. They will study how ocean circulation affects the accumulation of debris and will work to develop methods to track and identify debris to facilitate its removal before it causes reef damage. Public education efforts also are planned.
Restoring Damaged Reefs. NMFS is implementing projects to restore injured or degraded reefs, and monitor their recovery. NMFS also is providing grants within an established program to develop new restoration techniques and is supporting two experts on coral reef management and restoration—one in the U.S. Caribbean and one in the U.S. Pacific.
Reducing Impacts from Trade in Coral Reef Species. NMFS is working with other agencies to study the role of the U.S. in the coral reef species trade. It also is working with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the International Coral Reef Initiative, exporting countries and the marine aquarium industry to develop public awareness campaigns, reduce unsustainable harvest practices and eliminate trade-driven cyanide fishing. All parties are working to develop criteria for harvesting wild species sustainably as well as exploring alternatives such as mariculture and coral farming.
Supporting the All Islands Coral Reef Initiative and Partnerships. NMFS is providing grants to U.S. territorial island governments to fund projects related to fisheries on coral reefs. In addition, the agency will transfer funds to NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service and Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research to develop a federal reef monitoring network.
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