Historic Inventory of Acropora Around Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands

Atlantic acroporid corals were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 on May 9, 2006, and a 4(d) rule was final on October 29, 2008, applying all Section 9 prohibitions of the ESA for the protection of elkhorn and staghorn corals with some limited exceptions, such as for emergency restoration. The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to list an additional 83 species of corals, 8 of which occur in the Atlantic and Caribbean, under the ESA on October 20, 2009. NMFS completed a 90-day finding and determined that a status review was merited for 7 of the 8 species occurring in the Atlantic and Caribbean. In order to address a priority in the draft Recovery Plan for threatened elkhorn and staghorn corals; specifically, to compile a historic inventory of the presence and distribution of elkhorn and staghorn corals throughout their range in Florida, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), NMFS submitted a proposal to the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP). The project also addresses a priority identified by managers in Puerto Rico and USVI that was expressed as part of the CREIOS meeting held in Puerto Rico in May 2009. The information will support recovery priorities for Atlantic acroporid corals such as reducing potential fishing, recreational, and coastal development impacts to these corals. In addition to data on Atlantic acroporid coral presence, data on the seven species of corals undergoing a status review will also be compiled. These data will be useful in the listing decision, as well as for any rule-making or recovery actions should some or all of these species be listed. The proposal was funded by CRCP and NMFS contracted GEOS Environmental, Inc. following a bidding process. The database was generated from a search of scientific studies, development projects, agency reports, and other information to obtain data on historic presence of Atlantic acroporid corals around Puerto Rico and USVI. A separate database was also created from the results of interviews with divers in Puerto Rico and USVI. The project benefits listed corals by providing a historic inventory of where these corals were found in the past to guide recovery planning efforts toward better defining critical habitat areas and priority sites for recovery. In addition, the project will benefit USVI and Puerto Rico management actions to restrict coastal development in areas identified as priorities for recovery, including restrictions on in-water construction and impacts such as sediment transport. The data will also provide useful for siting of monitoring activities and the establishment of regulatory or management initiatives.

Tags: 20541, acropora cervicornis, acropora palmata, agaricia lamarcki, aguadilla, aguadilla (18n067w0012), arecibo, arecibo (18n066w0014), atlantic ocean, biosphere, cabo rojo, cabo rojo (18n067w0008), caribbean sea, caribbean sea /north atlantic ocean, carolina, carolina (18n065w0013), catano, catano (18n066w0011), ceiba, ceiba (18n065w0003), coastal processes, coral reefs, corals, coris_metadata, country/territory, culebra, culebra island (18n065w0011), dendrogyra cylindrus, desecheo island, dichocoenia stokesii, dorado, dorado (18n066w0001), dorado/toa baja, earth science, elkhorn coral, elliptical star coral, fajardo, fajardo (18n065w0004), geographic information, guanica, guanica (17n066w0005), guayama, guayama (17n066w0008), guayanilla, guayanilla (17n066w0007), guayanilla/penuelas, historic inventory of acropora around puerto rico and u.s. virgin islands, humacao, humacao (18n065w0009), isabela, isabela (18n067w0009), isla de desecheo (18n067w0007), isla de mona (18n067w0002), jobos bay (bahia de jobos) (17n066w0009), knobby star coral, la parguera (17n067w0013), lajas, lajas (17n067w0012), lamarck?s sheet coral, leeward islands, lobed star coral, loiza, loiza (18n065w0006), luquillo, luquillo (18n065w0012), manati, manati (18n066w0008), maunabo, maunabo (17n065w0002), mayaguez, mayaguez (18n067w0010), mona island, montastraea annularis, montastraea faveolata, montastraea franksi, mountainous star coral, mycetophyllia ferox, naguabo, naguabo (18n065w0008), ocean basin, oceans, patillas, patillas (17n065w0009), penuelas, penuelas (17n066w0006), pillar coral, ponce, ponce (17n066w0010), pr, puerto rico, puerto rico (18n066w0000), reef locations, reef monitoring and assessment, rincon, rincon (18n067w0011), rio grande, rio grande (18n065w0007), rough cactus coral, salinas, salinas (17n066w0011), salinas/guayama, san juan, san juan (18n066w0005), santa isabel, santa isabel (17n066w0004), st. croix, st. croix (17n064w0003), st. john, st. john (18n064w0011), st. thomas, st. thomas (18n064w0033), st. thomas/st. john, staghorn coral, toa baja, toa baja (18n066w0012), u. s. virgin islands, united states of america, usvi, vega baja, vega baja (18n066w0010), vieques, vieques island, vieques island (18n065w0002), virgin islands, yabucoa, yabucoa (18n065w0010), zoology
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce