[Coral-List] Fwd: Re: Self cleaning mooring buoy

[DeeVon Quirolo]

>>>Craig Quirolo, founder of the environmental group Reef Relief, based out of
>>>Key West, Florida, has discovered a very simple method of keeping
>>>reef-mooring buoys clean. The 'self-cleaning device' will work on virtually
>>>all round buoys designed with a line that passes through the middle of them.
>>>This simple device will save marine sanctuaries around the world millions of
>>>dollars in cleaning expenses annually and only costs pennies per buoy to
>>>install.
>>>
>>>The discovery of the self-cleaning process was a surprise to Craig who had
>>>no intention of inventing such a device. The self-cleaning device is a
>>>combination of simplicity and practicality. "I would like to thank all of
>>>the individuals and foundations who have supported Reef Relief's reef 
>>>mooring
>>>buoy programs over the past twenty years and share the credit with them.
>>>Without their support I would not have been in a position to make this 
>>>discovery,"
>>>announced Quirolo.
>>>
>>>It all started two years ago in Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas, where Reef
>>>Relief maintains 18 reef-mooring buoys. A landowner asked Craig if he
>>>could re-connect a mooring buoy that had broken near his land that he had
>>>installed to protect a pristine sea grass area from anchor damage. It is
>>>rare when this buoy is not in use. The replacement buoy had such a large
>>>hole passing through the center of it that Craig had to create a new system
>>>to attach the buoy to the down line. To make a long story short the buoy
>>>never attracted any algal growth and always looked clean, as if somebody had
>>>polished it. After two years of being spotless Craig became intrigued as to
>>>who or what was cleaning the buoy.
>>>
>>>Cleaning buoys on location spreads algae over the reef and could compromise
>>>the health of corals. This is currently the practice through out the Florida
>>>Keys National Marine Sanctuary where algae is pressure washed from the buoys
>>>while they are still attached.
>>
>>
>>>Craig developed a concern over buoy cleaning while he maintained (for eleven
>>>years) the 117-reef mooring buoys installed by Reef Relief  near Key West,
>>>which are now part of the FKNMS program.  "On calm days, while cleaning 
>>>buoys,
>>>I would watch the algae float down to the bottom and questioned if this 
>>>practice
>>>was compromising the coral,"  explained Quirolo.
>>>
>>>Reef Relief would like the cleaning system to be used through out the world
>>>and is offering the design free to all of those who want to use it. The
>>>design is extremely inexpensive, quick to install and works so well that the
>>>buoys always look polished.
>>>
>>>Contact Craig at cquirolo at bellsouth.net for more information.