Dahlgren, C.

Ecological Characterization of the Moriah Harbour Cay area

2006

Perry Institute for Marine Science and Lee Stocking Island

This short report summarizes information on the marine environment surrounding Moriah Harbour Cay, Exuma. This information is drawn from data collected by the Perry Institute for Marine science and its partners over the past 5 years. In April 2002, The Perry Institute for Marine Science conducted a rapid ecological assessment of fish and benthic communities from Elizabeth Harbour to the east of George Town to Black Rocks off Little Exuma. These surveys included quantitative visual censuses of fish and benthic communities in mangroves, seagrass beds, inshore patch reefs and hardbottom areas (i.e., inshore from barrier islands), and coral reef and hardbottom areas along the platform margin (i.e., offshore from barrier islands). In addition to these surveys, data on the recruitment of post-larval Caribbean spiny lobster was collected from the Moriah Harbour Cay areas from 2002-2004. This report summarizes information from this research.

FY2004 CRCP Project ID 1395; Project Title: International Coral Grants Program; Principal Investigator: Eileen Alicea