Ports & Coastal Sciences Projects

MT Ficus Grounding Assessment, Monitoring, & Restoration

In February 2008, the tanker M/T FICUS went aground near Goudling Cay off the western end of New Providence Island, Bahamas. CSA Ocean Sciences (CSA) was contracted by the Bahamas Environment, Science and Technology (BEST) Commission to conduct a reef injury assessment, emergency restoration, and monitoring surveys for two years post-restoration to document recovery of the impacted site.

CSA conducted restoration activities in June 2008, which included fouling paint removal/disposal, biological reattachment, rubble stabilization/reattachment, and tagging/mapping of representative reattached biota for monitoring. Over 730 hard and soft corals were reattached within 14 direct impact areas. Dislodged and fractured substrate (rubble) was used to re-create lost topographic relief within the grounding site. Year 1 monitoring data indicated an increase in vertical relief and canopy structure providing habitat and low coral mortality with minor tissue loss. Additional monitoring is scheduled to occur.

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