The state of coral reef ecosystems of the U.S. Virgin Islands

Rothenberger, Paige; Blondeau, Jeremiah; Cox, Carrollyn; Curtis, Susan

This report is the third in a series of assessments of the status of coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). The first assessment (Catanzaro et al., 2002) provided a broad overview of the status of USVI coral reef ecosystems, reported them to be in serious decline, and recommended enforcement of existing regulations and creation of no-take areas as the best actions to help reverse ecosystem declines. The second assessment (Jeffrey et al., 2005) identified several threats faced by coral reef ecosystems in the USVI, reported a continued overall decline in marine resources, and recommended for a second time that enforcement of existing regulations was the essential first step needed to address declining water quality, benthic habitats, and associated biological communities. This third assessment presents the current condition of coral reef ecosystems, describes the threats these marine ecosystems face and recommends additional actions based on data gathered between 2003 and 2007 by federal and territorial government agencies, non governmental organizations, academic institutions, and other stakeholders working in USVI coral reef ecosystems.Coral reef ecosystems in the USVI comprise a mosaic of habitats, e.g., coral and other hardbottom areas, seagrasses, and mangroves, which house a diversity of organisms. Island communities depend on these biologically rich ecosystems for the important ecosystem services they provide such as shoreline protection and the support of valuable socioeconomic activities (e.g., fishing and tourism). However, human activities can and have destroyed or seriously degraded these same marine habitats upon which so much depends. Coral reefs generally form fringing, patch, or spur and groove formations that are distributed in patches around three main islands of St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas and several smaller islands (Figure 2.1). The geology of these islands is dissimilar and has been previously described in great detail (Adey et al., 1977; Hubbard et al., 1993). Recent estimates of the spatial extent of coral reef ecosystems from Landsat satellite imagery indicate that coral reef ecosystems in the USVI cover approximately 344 km2 (to 18 m depth) or 2,126 km2 (to 183 m depth; Rohmann et al., 2005).According to benthic habitat maps released by NOAA in 2001, coral reef and hardbottom habitats comprise 61%, submerged aquatic vegetation covers 33%, and unconsolidated sediments comprise 4% of shallow water areas less than 30 m deep in the USVI (Kendall et al., 2001; Monaco et al., 2001; http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/about/biogeography/).

The state of coral reef ecosystems of the U.S. Virgin Islands

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