Marine Habitat Damage Assessment Restoration,
and Enhancement
CSA
International has conducted numerous marine habitat damage assessment,
restoration, and enhancement projects. Damages have been due to
vessel groundings, anchoring, dredging, trawling, pipeline and cable
operations, bridge and road construction activities, oil spills,
other pollutant discharges, shading, etc. Restoration and enhancement
of marine habitats have involved natural coral reefs, live bottom
areas, artificial reefs, seagrass beds, sponges, macroalgal communities,
etc.
Reef Restoration
CSA International staff have developed and field-tested new methods
for reattaching and transplanting hard corals and have designed
and installed innovative reef structural habitat enhancements as
a means of accelerating biological recovery. MRI provides environmental
surveys and reef restoration services to Federal, State, and private
industry clients in the event of ship groundings or other environmental
impacts. Typical reef restoration projects include the rebuilding
of a damaged reef by utilizing the remaining live material from
the site, or from harvesting live coral from other sites in the
area.
Under
the direction of the Philippe Cousteau Foundation, CSA International
and ORA (a subsidiary of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution
based in Fort Pierce, FL) have come together to further develop
a "seed bank" coral nursery, to ensure an ample supply
of live coral to replant damaged reefs, as well as the development
of proper planting and placement techniques to ensure the highest
rate of growth and the lowest possible mortality rate. The program's
primary goals are to build a growing reserve of soft and hard corals
that can be planted back into the wild to replace damaged reefs,
or in some cases, to "seed" new artificial reefs in support
of both conservation and tourism activities.
CSA
International has conducted numerous marine habitat damage assessment,
restoration, and enhancement projects. Damages have been due to
vessel groundings, anchoring, dredging, trawling, pipeline and cable
operations, bridge and road construction activities, oil spills,
other pollutant discharges, shading, etc. Restoration and enhancement
of marine habitats have involved natural coral reefs, live bottom
areas, artificial reefs, seagrass beds, sponges, macroalgal communities,
etc. 
CSA International staff have developed and field-tested new methods
for reattaching and transplanting hard corals and have designed
and installed innovative reef structural habitat enhancements as
a means of accelerating biological recovery. MRI provides environmental
surveys and reef restoration services to Federal, State, and private
industry clients in the event of ship groundings or other environmental
impacts. Typical reef restoration projects include the rebuilding
of a damaged reef by utilizing the remaining live material from
the site, or from harvesting live coral from other sites in the
area.
Under
the direction of the Philippe Cousteau Foundation, CSA International
and ORA (a subsidiary of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution
based in Fort Pierce, FL) have come together to further develop
a "seed bank" coral nursery, to ensure an ample supply
of live coral to replant damaged reefs, as well as the development
of proper planting and placement techniques to ensure the highest
rate of growth and the lowest possible mortality rate. The program's
primary goals are to build a growing reserve of soft and hard corals
that can be planted back into the wild to replace damaged reefs,
or in some cases, to "seed" new artificial reefs in support
of both conservation and tourism activities.
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