Coral reefs of Swains Island, American Samoa
Green AL. 1996. Coral reefs of Swains Island, American Samoa. Dept. of Marine & Wildlife Resources. American Samoa Government. Pago Pago, AS
In February 1987, Swains Island was badly damaged by Hurricane Tusi. In April 1987, the Dept. of Marine and Wildlife (DMWR) visited the island to assess the damage. They reported that most of the reefs had been devastated by the storm. There was also a great change in the fish community at Swains. In March 1996, DMWR revisited the island to assess the condition of the coral reefs. This survey showed that the reefs appeared to have recovered from the hurricane. Coral coverage was high (45-65%) and comprised similar species and growth forms to those present prior to the hurricane. Reef fishes were also more abundant and species composition was similar to prehurricane observations. In summary, the reefs of Swains Island have recovered well from the devastation of Hurricane Tusi and are among the most spectacular in American Samoa.