BleachWatch Training

For Volunteers

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Reef Connect: BleachWatch VI

What is BleachWatch?

• A program that prepares for, monitors and

assesses bleaching and other reef

disturbances in the USVI

• BleachWatch depends on divers and

snorkelers to submit brief observations

about what they see underwater.

What is BleachWatch?

A way to report what you see happening

on the reef… especially coral bleaching

Why BleachWatch?

More eyes on the reef reporting disturbances

Bleaching monitoring to determine extent and

severity of bleaching events

Reef Resiliency

Use data to inform further conservation efforts

How can you help?

Perform BleachWatch surveys to

contribute to reef monitoring data

Be the ‘eyes on the reef ’ and report back

using the website or BleachWatch VI

app!

“Full Report”

“Quick Report”

www.reefconnect.org

Perform BleachWatch

surveys to contribute

to reef monitoring

data

Be the ‘eyes on the reef ’ and report back

using the website or BleachWatch VI

app!

“Full Report”

“Quick Report”

www.reefconnect.org

BleachWatch VI app

Perform BleachWatch

surveys to contribute

to reef monitoring

data

Be the ‘eyes on the reef ’ and report back

using the website or BleachWatch VI

app!

“Full Report”

“Quick Report”

BleachWatch VI app

Coral Bleaching 101

http://youtu.be/iW8nCALx5iA

https://youtu.be/iW8nCALx5iA

What is coral bleaching?

• Bleaching is when corals lose their

photosynthetic algae (zooxanthellae) due to

stressful conditions (such as warm waters,

high salinity, change in nutrients, etc)

• Without their zooxanthellae to provide food

and pigment, the coral turns bright white

and becomes vulnerable to disease and

starvation.

Coral Anatomy 100

Coral ID Key

Drawings courtesy of Reef Coral Identification-2003 copyright New world Publications www.fishid.com

Plate, Leaf & Sheet Includes all corals that are flattened and are usually layered.

Brain Corals: Includes all of the following:

Brain Corals Maze Corals Rose Corals

Branching & Pillar Include all of the following:

Branching Pillar

Finger-like Knobby

Flowering & Cup Includes all corals that the corallites appear independent from the rest of the colony.

Encrusting, Mound & Boulder: Includes all corals that often take the shape of what they grow over or the massive /boulder shaped excluding brain corals.

Fleshy Corals Includes all corals with a fleshy appearance.

Cactus Corals

Healthy Corals - Identification

Brain Corals

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Healthy Corals

Brain Corals

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Healthy Corals

Encrusting Mound and Boulder

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Healthy Corals

Encrusting Mound and Boulder

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Healthy Corals

Encrusting Mound and Boulder

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Healthy Corals

Branching and Pillar

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Healthy Corals

Branching and Pillar

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Healthy Corals

Branching and Pillar

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Healthy Corals

Plate, Leaf, and Sheet

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Healthy Corals

Flowering and Cup

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Healthy Corals

Fleshy Corals

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Healthy Corals

Soft Corals (Gorgonians)

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Healthy Corals

Soft Corals (Gorgonians)

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Healthy Corals

Fire Coral (hydrocoral, not stony coral)

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Zoanthids and tunicates:

can look like corals, but they are not (if you notice these bleaching or want to mention zoanthids or tunicates do

so in the notes section of your surveys)

Impacted Coral - Paling

Brain Corals

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Impacted Coral - Paling

Encrusting Mound and Boulder

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Impacted Coral - Bleaching

Encrusting Mound and Boulder

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Impacted Coral - Bleaching

Branching and Pillar Corals

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Impacted Coral – Bleaching, Paling

Branching and Pillar Corals

©M. Brandt

©M. Brandt

Impacted Coral – Bleaching

Branching and Pillar Corals

©M. Brandt ©M. Brandt

Impacted Coral – Bleaching, Paling

Branching and Pillar Corals

Cane Bay

September

2013

©N. Terry ©N. Terry

Impacted Coral - Bleached and Diseased

Brain Corals

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Impacted Coral - Bleached and Diseased

Brain Corals

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Impacted Coral - Diseased

Plate Leaf and Sheet Corals

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Distinguishing predation: (forms distinct patches, removes polyps completely… mention

predation in notes/comments section)

How can you help?

Perform BleachWatch surveys to

contribute to reef monitoring data

Be the ‘eyes on the reef ’ and report back

using the website or BleachWatch VI

app!

“Full Report”

“Quick Report”

How can you help?

Be the ‘eyes on the reef ’ and report back

using the website or BleachWatch VI

app!

“Quick Report”

BleachWatch VI app

Quick Report

Website Mobile App

If you see bleaching or another disturbance on any dive or snorkel (work, fun, rec,

tec, etc) …report what you saw with the simple quick report on the website or app!

Full Report

• Recreational snorkelers/divers can submit brief surveys

about reef health

• Provides a snapshot of local reefs to scientists and

managers which can be used to guide further surveys to

determine extent of bleaching or resilience of those

reefs.

The USVI BleachWatch Program was adopted and modified

from successful BleachWatch programs in Florida and the

Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

Survey Methods: Full Report

• Diving or snorkeling equipment

• Underwater clipboard or slate

and underwater datasheet,

pencils

• Coral Watch Bleaching cards or

coral ID cards (optional)

• Underwater digital camera or

video camera (optional)

Materials Needed:

Survey Methods: Full Report

• Conduct a 15-minute roving snorkel or dive (or portion of

your dive). Pause on each three minute interval and imagine

a 1 m2 (3x3 foot) quadrat (square) overlaid on the reef. Note:

Identifying fixed benthic habitat features for the four points of your

quadrat will increase accuracy of data collection.

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Survey Methods: Full Report

Start 3 min 6 min 9 min 12 min 15 min

3 ft

3 ft

Survey Methods: Full Report

• Estimate the percent coral coverage and other observations

using the BleachWatch VI Data Sheet. Record any other

findings (ex.: number and types of herbivorous fishes,

number and types of invertebrates, number and types of

diseases, etc.) using the notes section.

• Take photographs at each of your five survey station and of

any important observations or organisms.

• If you notice any paling, bleaching or disease outside your

survey area (quadrats), make a note and submit that

information using the “Quick Report” option on

www.reefconnect.org or the BleachWatch VI app.

Full Report Survey Data Sheet

Survey Data Sheet

Fringing Reef: Reef that grows seaward from shore, sometimes with

shallow lagoon, sometimes without; Examples- Long Reef, the shallow

barrier reef that runs from Green Caye to Kramers Park

Patch Reef: sections of coral not attached directly to the fringing reef or

wall

Wall: Cane Bay, Salt River includes top of the wall as well as the

vertical part

Mesophotic: any reef in the 30-100m range; some of the deeper reefs

out west

Nearshore: shallow reef at Cane Bay, Jacks/Issacs Bays, some of the

shallow reefs close to shore out west, anything connected to shore.

Survey Data Sheet 24

Estimate the amount of bleached or

paling coral coverage in the quadrat

using the percentage categories

provided. Select the types of coral

impacted.

Select any impacts observed.

Describe the severity of the

unhealthy corals. Use the notes

section if you don’t see a

description that fits.

Estimate the amount of live coral in

the quadrat using the percentage

categories provided. Select the types

of coral you see inside your quadrat

Small brain coral was pale, but not bleached; saw two damsel fish nearby. Quadrat also had some healthy soft coral (fans).

Use notes section to add more details or

other useful observations

Survey Data Sheet

Continue the swim and survey, being

sure to stop every 3 minutes at a new

survey station (quadrat).

Record any lionfish observations,

make any final notes or thoughts and

then go online or use the app to

submit your survey!

Estimating percentage

Coral ID Key

Drawings courtesy of Reef Coral Identification-2003 copyright New world Publications www.fishid.com

Plate, Leaf & Sheet Includes all corals that are flattened and are usually layered.

Brain Corals: Includes all of the following:

Brain Corals Maze Corals Rose Corals

Branching & Pillar Include all of the following:

Branching Pillar

Finger-like Knobby

Flowering & Cup Includes all corals that the corallites appear independent from the rest of the colony.

Encrusting, Mound & Boulder: Includes all corals that often take the shape of what they grow over or the massive /boulder shaped excluding brain corals.

Fleshy Corals Includes all corals with a fleshy appearance.

Cactus Corals

Methods: Survey Submission

Submit using the BleachWatch VI app

Submit online at www.reefconnect.org

Email surveys to BleachWatchVI@tnc.org

Submit by mail or in person to:

BleachWatch VI

3052 Estate Little Princess

Christiansted VI 00820

Practice

3ft/1m

3ft/1m

Practice

3ft/1m

3ft/1m

Practice

3ft/1m

3ft/1m

Practice

3ft/1m

3ft/1m

Practice

3ft/1m

3ft/1m

www.reefconnect.org