PEANUT ISLAND CORAL PROJECT

By The Reef Institute

Importance:

For good reason, Peanut Island has been a popular boating and picnic destination since its creation in 1918. However, daily changes in salinity and temperature, increased turbidity from local vessel traffic, and disturbances from the growing number of visitors to this area would not indicate the island to be a particularly attractive location for large-scale coral settlement. Surprisingly, Peanut Island is proving to be just that – a host to countless reef-building coral colonies that are settling down on artificial reef material placed along the snorkel trail and lagoon. The amount of marine life species inhabiting the lagoon alone is staggering and rivals that of natural reefs in the Florida Keys.

This is important because in addition to the usual threats our coral reefs face (heat, nutrient pollution, ocean acidification, etc.), as with all reef-building corals in Florida are suffering from Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD). SCTLD is a highly lethal coral disease that spreads rapidly and has decimated coral populations along the Florida Reef Tract since 2014. More than half of all reef-building coral species in Florida are affected by the disease and it is estimated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that Florida’s corals are at less than 2% of their original coverage. However, while natural reefs are seeing devastation, Peanut Island corals appear to be thriving.

Our Project:

Given the accessibility of corals in the Peanut Island snorkeling lagoon and their apparent resilience despite environmental stressors, The Reef Institute (TRI), first began monitoring Peanut Island corals in 2018 with the approval of Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management and the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department. The initial goal was to help high school students better experience a career in marine science, TRI quickly identified several healthy coral colonies growing in the lagoon and snorkel trail. out in the water and teach them how to make observations, track biodiversity, and collect data. The Reef Institute began to regularly monitor this coral, making it apart of weekly tasks, to ensure the corals growth, color, and overall health was being properly recorded to ensure longevity.

Today TRI has identified more than 18 species of coral representing close to half of the most common reef-building coral species found in Palm Beach County and several species that are rarely found this far north.