CORAL OUTPLANTING WORKSHOP
Coral Nursery Workshop
Central Caribbean Marine Institute
Cayman Islands Department of Environment
Project advisor Dr. Diego Lirman
(University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science)
September 6-8, 2012 Little Cayman
Prepared by Katie Lohr
Conservation Scientist, CCMI
October 2012
October 1,
2012
CORAL OUTPLANTING WORKSHOP
October 1,
2012
I. Workshop Overview
The objectives of the Coral Nursery Workshop organised by the Central Caribbean Marine Institute
(CCMI) with the participation of the Cayman Islands Department of Environment (DOE) and the
University of Miami were to (a) determine goals and guidelines the collaborative Experimental Coral
Nursery Project, (b) instruct workshop participants on best-practice coral gardening techniques, and (c)
provide participants with relevant field experience in coral gardening and nursery maintenance and
monitoring. This document will summarise the main outcomes of the workshop.
II. Pilot Nursery Construction
The existing ICON CREWS station was chosen as the location for the pilot nursery because it has high
water quality, low levels of predation, a reasonably shallow depth, and is located in close proximity to
the Little Cayman Research Centre for easy access by scientists. Three suspended line nurseries were
attached to CREWS anchor lines.
The focal species for this workshop was staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis). Branching corals like
staghorn are ideal for use in coral gardening since they propagate naturally via fragmentation, grow
quickly, and provide structure to the reef as well as three-dimensional habitat for fish and invertebrates.
Enhancing native populations of staghorn coral through coral gardening is also important because this
species is depleted throughout its native Caribbean range.
Seven branches were collected from four wild staghorn coral colonies located at two reef sites, resulting
in minimal impact on the wild population. These branches were collected by using cable clippers to cut
them from healthy colonies, or were located as “fragments of opportunity” – naturally broken
fragments found loose on the substrate. The branches collected from the wild “parent” colonies were
fragmented into 58 branches, each roughly 5 cm long. Each fragment was attached to one of the lines
and marked with a tag for identification.
Workshop participants learned techniques for monitoring corals in a nursery as well as the parent
colonies from which they were taken, and were able to put these to use, taking initial measurements of
the nursery fragments as well as the four parent colonies.
The corals will continue to grow in the nursery until they get big enough to be fragmented again. Thus,
the coral nursery is self-sustaining, and no additional samples are required from wild colonies (aside
from limited additional collections to increase genetic diversity within the nursery). An additional
workshop focused on theory and techniques for returning nursery-reared corals to the reef is tentatively
planned for the spring of 2013, when the current nursery fragments will have had time to grow and
attain an appropriate size for outplanting. In the meantime, CCMI will report to CIDOE monthly on
nursery progress.
CORAL OUTPLANTING WORKSHOP
Workshop Photo Gallery
Dr. Diego Lirman demonstrates coral
measurement techniques in the classroom.
DOE Deputy Director Tim Austin tags
. a wild staghorn parent colony for
monitoring purposes.
A branch from a wild parent colony
is brought to the boat for transport
to the newly installed nursery.
CCMI Research Assistant Emma
Camp measures a coral in situ at
the nursery.
October 1,
2012