Diver measuring the growth of a restabilized pillar coral colony. Photo courtesy of NOAA.

Diver using a quadrat to aid his counting and measuring of coral colonies in a reference area of a grounding site. Photo courtesy of NOAA.

If monitoring funds are collected from a responsible party as part of a settlement, coral restoration monitoring for both primary and compensatory restoration projects is required. Monitoring, which is mandated by the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) , provides the scientific data needed to assess a restoration project's success and highlight the need for any potential midcourse corrections.

Restoration Success Criteria

Monitoring determines whether a site is recovering and beginning to resemble adjacent undisturbed reference area(s). The process involves ongoing comparison of conditions at restored areas with those at reference areas. Monitoring measures:

• Structural integrity of the underlying reef framework.
• Recruitment and settlement of corals.
• Survivorship of transplanted corals.

Although each restoration site has a unique structural and biological composition, the same general methods are typically used to collect monitoring data. Biological and structural data are collected from underwater visual observation and various tactile, photographic, and videographic methods. The site is mapped and reference markers are used to identify individual coral colonies for ongoing monitoring to ensure consistent results.

Sampling Schedule

Baseline monitoring data are collected as soon as possible after restoration activities are completed. During normal environmental conditions, subsequent monitoring data are collected at 1-, 2-, 4-, and 6-year post-baseline intervals. If an unusual or catastrophic event (for example, a hurricane, drastically abnormal water temperatures) occurs after baseline data collection, emergency monitoring data collection may be warranted.