Caribbean Acropora Outplanting in U.S. Jurisdiction: 1993-2017

Staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis and elkhorn coral Acropora palmata were once dominant reef-building coral species in the Caribbean. However, since the 1970s, populations have undergone dramatic declines due to a number of stressors including disease, storm damage, and reductions in herbivory that allow algae to outcompete corals. In 2006, A. palmata and A. cervicornis were listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (71 FR 26852; May 9, 2006). Successful sexual recruitment is one of the factors that affects the ability of A. palmata and A. cervicornis to recover from population declines. Both species are hermaphroditic broadcast spawners, but they do not self-fertilize. Reduced population sizes, reduced genotypic diversity, and gamete incompatibility of some genotypes affect successful fertilization. Coral nurseries are a popular method used to produce colonies that are outplanted to coral reefs to boost abundance and genotypic diversity at local sites and increase the likelihood of successful sexual reproduction. Multiple organizations operate coral nurseries within the U.S. jurisdiction of Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands (Table 1). Each organization has its own goals and objectives with some more focused on outplanting to answer research questions and others more focused on growing corals predominantly for population enhancement purposes. Because of the vast numbers of corals being outplanted and the multiple organizations involved, NOAA Fisheries began to compile outplanting data in a central location to gain a broader perspective on all the work being done and to help evaluate population status as required under the Endangered Species Act. 2020 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) SER (Southeast Region) CoRIS (Coral Reef Information System) Submitted https://doi.org/10.25923/n4tx-1a30 NOAA CRCP project ; ID 804 Public Domain 1860