Sean Griffin; Michael Nemeth

Response to Physical Impacts on Coral Reefs in Puerto Rico and the USVI 2022 Report

2022

NOAA Restoration Center

"In 2022, the NOAA's Restoration Center (RC) received reports of 36 incidents in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands including Hurricane Fiona, which caused extensive damage to Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, off the west and southwest coast of Puerto Rico. Emergency restoration conducted at 10 different sites in 2022 saved over 5,000 corals. However, even with all of the restoration work completed during 2022, there was not enough funding to address all of the reported impacts. For example, NOAA RC and National Fish and Wildlife Fund's (NFWF) Coral Emergency Restoration Fund (CERF) provided approximately $500,000 in federal funding for the post Hurricane Fiona work, but this was not enough to address all of the damages. Thousands of at-risk A. palmata fragments were still present along with loose rubble created by the storm. It is important to secure them to prevent additional impacts and promote successful coral recruitment needed for reef recovery. Since 2006, the RC performed restoration at 152 sites in PR and the USVI and reattached over 67,000 corals. NFWF's CERF funded some of the post Hurricane Fiona restoration work and provided emergency funds to remove a derelict vessel from the reef just before Hurricane Fiona hit which would have caused significant additional damage to the reef."

coral, hurricane, coral reef damage, Acropora, coral restoration, orthomosaic, 3D model, Puerto Rico, USVI

NMFS

OHC

FY2022 CRCP Project ID 490; Project Title: Capacity Building for Coral Grounding Injuries in the Caribbean; Principal Investigator: Sean Griffin