Reef Damage
(November 23)
The area where something impacted the live reef seemed to be done recently. We
found the following:
> 1. Large barrel sponges with obvious scars on their sides that appeared to be
from a cable or a very thick rope. Many other sponge corals are just lying on or
near the damaged area. Under any kind of sea condition they will be rolled
around and/or broken up.
> 2. Many hard corals, which our group has started to turn right side up, are
scattered over a 400 by 100 foot area. They will die from lack of light if they
are not turned over. We are placing orange barrier tape under the corals for
easy identification for reattachment purposes at a later date ( once we have the
permit ).
The zooxanthellae, were still normal coral color with live polyps. After a few
weeks the corals will begin to bleach out if not facing sunlight.
> 3. Sponges that have been cut off near their bottoms still have several
inches of sponge left to continue pumping water and food . However, most show no
signs of regeneration of the osculum. Typically, regeneration is visible in a
couple of weeks. Any delay such as waiting for permits, decreases the chances of
the sponges surviving. The next storm with wavelengths long enough to stir the
bottom will throw uncemented corals all over the reef. We sometimes see this
after winter storms or high winds along the Pompano Drop-off. Long waves hit an
abrupt shoaling of the bottom and all loose corals could be lost
We plan to continue our efforts to save as much coral as possible.
On 11/23 or 11/24 we will be back on site to map and systematically document the
damage and
do whatever we can to stop any hard and soft coral from dying.
We are also in the process of making a video of our efforts.