FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 20, 2016
CONSTRUCTION COMPLETED FOR
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA CORAL
REEF RESTORATION PROJECT
~Former ship-grounding sites stabilized and
restored to encourage habitat recovery~
A) Coral reef damage at one of the vessel
grounding sites. B) The newly restored reef includes
a stabilized seafloor.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Florida
Department of Environmental Protection’s Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP)
has completed the first large-scale, agency-led coral reef restoration project
in the Southeast Florida Reef Tract. CRCP spearheaded the Coral Reef
Stabilization and Rehabilitation Project in response to unresolved damage originally
caused by two commercial vessel groundings in 2006.
“This
was an extremely successful collaboration with many dedicated partners, whose
expertise and skills were invaluable,” said Kevin Claridge, director of DEP’s Florida
Coastal Office. “Through key partnerships, we were able to restore these
ecologically sensitive and economically important habitats.”
Although
emergency restoration was performed following the groundings, a 2011 study
showed that the sites were not fully recovering because loose rubble was rolling
around inhibiting coral and sponge growth. CRCP determined that agency-led restoration
was necessary to stabilize the loose rubble and re-create the natural seafloor
to enable habitat recovery.
This
project was primarily funded by private settlements associated with the
original coral reef injuries and supplemented with civil penalties collected
through a provision in Florida’s Coral Reef Protection Act.
CRCP
assembled a project team consisting of DEP, Nova Southeastern University and other
agency coral reef specialists and contracted recognized experts to help with
restoration. The team selected Olsen Associates, Inc., to assist with project design;
Coastal Eco-Group, Inc., to provide construction oversight; and Callaway Marine
Technologies, Inc., to perform the underwater construction, which included
rubble collection, boulder placement and concrete grout to stabilize the two sites.
Prior
to construction, Nova Southeastern University relocated all stony corals and
octocorals greater than 5 centimeters to a safer location through funding from DEP
and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Marine Estuarine
Subsection.
“The
rubble removal and boulder placement have created a significantly more stable
seafloor at the grounding sites, which now provide a safer habitat for corals and
fish to live and thrive,” said Joanna Walczak, the Southeast regional administrator
for DEP’s Florida Coastal Office. “Olsen Associates, Coastal Eco-Group, Callaway Marine Technologies and all
those involved did an excellent job. Each party contributed significant time
and effort on this project and it really paid off.”
Nova
Southeastern University has begun collecting long-term data at both restoration
sites and DEP will continue future monitoring. Documentation of how and when
these sites recover will be used to inform future reef restoration projects in
this region. Additionally, the next phase of this project is planned to include
biological restoration, such as transplanting more corals, octocorals and
sponges to reflect a natural community composition.
To watch a short video about the restoration project, click here. For
more information about DEP’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, please click here.
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