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Coral Reef Monitoring. What is a Coral?. Animal, vegetable or mineral?. Conservation of Coral Reefs. Monitoring is necessary to decrease the decline of reefs Coral reefs have a high biodiversity
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What is a Coral? Animal, vegetable or mineral?
Conservation of Coral Reefs • Monitoring is necessary to decrease the decline of reefs • Coral reefs have a high biodiversity • They provide a habitat for a wide variety of animals and plant species and are also a food source for many organisms • Protects coastlines
Studying coral reefs: • Compare difference in places where fish are collected to a place where they are not; look over time. • lots of different people collect data • community effort
Reef Check A volunteer, community-based coral reef monitoring and education program that promotes coral reef conservation and preservation throughout the Main Hawaiian Islands. http://www.reefcheckhawaii.org/
Location: Kaneohe, HI Near the intersection of Kam. Hwy and Lulani St.
Location Kaneohe, HI
Transect Belt Study 5m 5m Snorkeler/diver swims down the transect line and counts abundance of orgs
Quadrat 15 10 5 0 Snorkeler/diver swims down the transect line and every 5 meters counts % cover of species
Fish ID • Butterfly fish • Blueline Snapper • Jacks • Goatfish • Parrotfish • Trigger fish • Yellow Tang • Wrasses • Angelfish • Snapper • Morey eel • Orange spine unicorn fish • Peacock grouper
Invert ID Pencil Urchin Diadema Collector Urchin Triton’s Trumpet Banded Coral Shrimp Lobster Coweries Crown-of-Thorns
Coral ID • Substrate Codes • HC hard coral • SC soft coral • RKC recently killed coral • NIA nutrient indicator algae • SP sponge • RC rock • RB rubble • SD sand • SI silt/clay • OT other
Coral ID • Rice • Finger • Lobe • Mushroom • Cauliflower Algae Crustose, turf, invasive
Pocillopora meandrina (Cauliflower Coral)
Crustose Algae Pink and encrusting
Impacts • Coral Damage • Disease • Bleaching • Trash
Coral Damage Boat/Anchor/Other
Coral Damage Boat/Anchor/Other
Trash • Hooks • Fishing line and gear • Plastic bags • Six pack soda holder
Coral Disease Black Band White band