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Coral Reef Teacher’s Guide Benefits, Threats, and Solutions
Figure 3-16. Splicing Parties to prepare lines for mooring buoys are always cause for a community get together. This
one was held at New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay. (Photo: Craig Quirolo)
with several partners who have helped launch gies to protect their coral reefs. In 1998, Reef
coral reef conservation programs to insure that Relief began with the installation of 18 reef
these coral reefs remain healthy and alive. mooring buoys at the most frequently visited
Green Turtle Cay is part of a chain of small is- coral reefs near Green Turtle Cay.
lands that are located off the eastern side of The following year, additional buoys were in-
Great Abaco Island, in the northeastern most part stalled to expand the system to accommodate
of the Bahamas. Between these cays and Great an increase in boating activity. In addition,
Abaco is the Sea of Abaco. These coral rimmed a coral nursery was established to salvage
cays lie east of the Sargassum Sea which con- storm-damaged Acropora Plamata. Reef Re-
stantly washes them in clean, clear nutrient lief’s Craig Quirolo used wire ties to stabilize
free waters, perpetuating healthy coral growth. and elevate fragments of the endangered coral
From the northern tip of Great Abacos a shal- that had been buried during hurricanes. He
low body of water stretches westward all the is monitoring the health of the nursery on a
way to West End, Grand Bahama Island, similar to video and still format.
Hawks Channel in the Florida Keys. However
(just like the Florida Keys), a growing number Educational efforts in Green Turtle Cay have
of tourists, boaters, and private developments included school presentations and commu-
– in combination with agricultural and storm- nity workshops that instructed and informed
water runoff from the developed mainland of residents and visitors on the importance of
Great Abaco – present challenges to the long coral reefs and how they can be protected.
term health and vitality of the coral reefs that
abound in the area.
Key West, Florida, and New Plymouth, Green
Turtle Cay, are sister cities, so it seemed nat-
ural for Reef Relief to assist our sister island
in the design and imple- mentation of strate-
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