translocation of Porites bommies

[emsa at diario1.sureste.com]

As Bill mentioned , four years ago I conducted a huge reef =
transplantation program at the construction site of a cruise ships pier =
in Cozumel Island. We moved almost all the hard and soft corals, =
sponges, zoanthids and complete patch reefs existing from the coastline =
to 24 m deep, using lift bags and underwater containers. Corals and =
other reef organisms were re-cemented on 44 artificial substrates made =
by armed concrete. Patch reefs and some big coral colonies were directly =
cemented on an exposed limestone rock which was the base of a living =
reef before it was killed because of cruise ships anchoring. Partial =
results were included in: Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Sym. 2:2075-1078.

I have to mention that branched corals are fragile and big colonies =
could be difficult to be released and re-cemented without any injury. =
Sometimes the colony is fractured and the fragments have to be cemented =
separately.

Cheers,


Ricardo Mu=F1oz Chagin
Ecologia y Manejo de Sistemas Arrecifales, S.C.P.
emsa at sureste.com