Evaluating long-term coral outplants on a large-scale via novel techniques

To evaluate the success of A. cervicornis outplanting, an assessment of the entire, habitable reef area using photomosaics may be the most effective method. This project is evaluating long-term and large-scale monitoring methods for outplanted staghorn coral utilizing photo-capture techniques utilizing divers and Automated Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) to compliment standard reef survey methodologies. Photomosaics can be assessed to determine the effectiveness and longterm survival of restoration activities. High-resolution images were captured using a REMUS 1000 for two large outplant sites in Key Largo, FL where multiple outplantings of staghorn coral have occurred over the past five years resulting in the collection of over 60,000 images. Such images were stitched together to create high-definition mosaics of outplanted A. cervicornis colonies and the surrounding reefscape. In addition to the outplanting data collected within mosaic data, restoration success was also evaluated through in-water assessment of the relationship between the current observed A. cervicornis density and past outplanting effort at 11 long-term outplanting sites in the Upper Keys. Finally, a cost benefit analysis was completed to compare the use of mosaics and AUVs to current methods of demographic data collection such as in-water surveys and point count analysis of underwater images.