FWD>Press Release -First La

[ww_gardiner at ccmail.pnl.gov]

Mitigation should certainly be considered a late option.  Perhaps the real  
reason to celebrate is that these methods may prove useful for reestablishing  
reefs destroyed by other means or from previous damage. 

To declare the project an "overwhelming success" after a short time seems a bit  
premature, but hopeful.  Most wetland mitigation projects are observed over a  
period of years before they are considered a success.  Some may do quite well  
for the first year or so, only to crash later on. 

Bill Gardiner 
Battelle Marine Sciences Lab 

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________ 
Subject: Re: FWD>Press Release -First La 
Author:  SOBELJ at dccmc.mhs.compuserve.com at -SMTPlink 
Date:    3/20/96 4:04 PM 


Response to recent posting by Mark Eaking below of Press Release on  
Large-scale coral reef removal and replanting: 

Let's not forget what mitigation projects are all about, at best they are  
designed to minimize or make-up for damage/destruction.  While  
transplanting mitigation may beat reef annihilation, the destruction of  
natural reefs for port development hardly seems worthy of hoopla and  
celebration.  Even if necessary, it seems that we should be saddened  
somewhat by the price we must pay in lost natural habitat.  Furthermore,  
to declare the project an overwhelming success story because most of the  
transplanted corals are still alive a few months after the initial reef  
removal and transplant seems especially ludicrous.  Am I missing  
something here? 

Original message follows: 
Mail*Link(r) SMTP               FWD>Press Release -First Large Scale  
Transplant/Hawaii 

  FYI.  I am merely forwarding the message and have no further 
information on 
this.  For further information, please see contacts in press release. 

Mark 

------------------------------------------ 
     Southwest Region, Pacific Area Office, 2570 Dole Street, Room 106,  
     Honolulu, HI 96822. 


     FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
        John Naughton                           March 20,1996  
        at (808) 973-2940 (Honolulu, HI) 
        or Sue Smith (619) 546-7070 (San Diego, CA) 


        FIRST LARGE-SCALE TRANSPLANT OF LIVE CORAL TAKES PLACE IN 

                                HAWAII 

        In the first large-scale coral transplant project ever conducted, 


     nearly fourteen tons of live corals have been successfully 

     transplanted from one location to another in Kawaihae Bay, Hawaii, 
the 

     Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration 

     announced today. The project was recommended by NOAA's National 
Marine 

     Fisheries Service and funded by the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers to 

     mitigate coral loss during proposed harbor construction and to 
restore 

     nearby reefs. 

        "The Kawaihae project has been an unprecedented success, with 
     ninety-nine percent  of the coral surviving relocation," said Hilda  
     Diaz Soltero, Director of NMFS' Southwest Region. "This study proves 

     that large quantities of these living animals can survive the trauma 

     of transplant."  The coral was transplanted from areas that will be  
     disrupted by harbor construction that begins next week , and will be 

     moved from holding areas to reefs damaged during past harbor  
     construction in the bay. 

        Since September, live corals have been taken from the 
"footprints" 
     of three  proposed new  breakwaters and relocated to a large 
stockpile 
     site and seven experimental sites ranging from 10 to 50 feet of 
water 
     all within a half mile of the proposed small boat harbor at 
Kawaihae. 
     Participants in the project include NMFS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

     Service, Corps of Engineers, State of Hawaii Division of Aquatic  
     Resources, and the staff and students of the University of Hawaii  
     Institute of Marine Biology and Hawaii Preparatory Academy. 

        "Volunteer divers from the Science Department of Hawaii 
Preparatory 
     Academy have been instrumental the  transplant effort," said John  
     Naughton, Pacific Island Environmental Coordinator 

     for NMFS' Southwest Region. Coral heads were carefully detached  by  
     divers and gently placed in large wire trays which were then lifted 
up 
     off the bottom and transported while still submerged to transplant  
     sites by boat. 

        "We'll continue to monitor coral transplant sites during and 
after 
     the nearby harbor construction to see how they fare," said Naughton. 

     Students and staff from University of Hawaii Institute of Marine  
     Biology are under contract to monitor the transplant sites for three 

     years to obtain data on the growth rates and mortality of the coral. 


        The coral animals themselves are tiny, cuplike creatures with 
soft, 
     fragile bodies about which they secrete a hard stony skeleton. They  
     emerge only at night when their tentacles expand to sweep the sea 
for 
     planktonic food.  Restored coral reefs should provide new habitat 
for 
     many species of fish and sea turtles. 

        The National Marine Fisheries Service, an agency of the National 
     Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, studies and manages U.S.  
     living marine resources and is responsible for the protection of  
     marine mammals and sea turtles as well as marine habitats and  
     endangered species. 


                        ***VIDEO FOOTAGE AVAILABLE*** 

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