Re-establishing salvaged coral colonies in Hawaii, USA

Summary

When harbor pier and rock groin repairs across Maui, Lanai, Molokai and the Island of Hawaii threatened to destroy coral colonies growing on structures slated for demolition, the Maui Ocean Center was enlisted for a first-of-its-kind Hawaiian project to salvage and relocate the legally protected corals to nearby receiving sites. Starting in 2012, over roughly 18 months, at least five Ocean Center dive staff removed and either immediately transplanted 317 coral colonies, spanning species such as Montipora capitata, Pocillopora damicornis and Porites lobata, or brought 392 back to a controlled facility for feeding and quarterly photographic monitoring before eventual transplant, for a total of 709 salvaged colonies. Immediate transplants achieved a 56% success rate, with 29% found dead on arrival and 29% missing; corals housed at the facility before transplant fared worse, at 32% success, 46% dead on arrival and 36% missing, and at one receiving site all Pocillopora colonies were entirely consumed by triggerfish not previously present at the donor sites. Underwater site inspections using tagged colonies, waterproof reference photos and GPS coordinates tracked tissue gain or loss over time, and the project's reports informed recommendations such as caging newly transplanted colonies against predators. Difficulties included global coral bleaching events in 2014-2015, unrelated dredging disturbing a receiving site, high-surge conditions loosening epoxy attachments, and coral predation. The project rates itself a failure for immediate transplants but successful for corals housed and acclimated before transplanting, citing staff coral-care expertise and lessons that improved success but were applied inconsistently across sites.