The impact of a ship grounding and associated fuel spill at Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, American Samoa
Green A, Burgett J, Molina M, Palawski D, Gabrielson P. 1997. The impact of a ship grounding and associated fuel spill at Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, American Samoa. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Honolulu, Hawaii
In October 1993, the Taiwanese longliner Jin Shiang Fa ran aground at Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, American Samoa, spilling 100,000 gallons of diesel fuel and other contaminants on the reef. Prior to the grounding, the atoll was considered to be one of the most remote and pristine coral reefs in the world. The ship grounding caused major injures to the coral reefs at Rose, including: 1) gouging large grooves in the atoll and pulverizing reef into rubble; 2) killing many invertebrates including reef-boring sea urchins, giant clams, and corals; 3) dramatically changing the nature of the atoll by killing the dominant reef-forming organisms (crustose coralline algae) and causing a bloom of opportunistic algal species over a large portion of the reef; and 4) changing the distribution of herbivorous fishes and sea urchins, which have been attracted to the wreckage and the algal bloom. Three years after the grounding, the reefs show only limited recovery from this event. Opportunistic algal species continue to dominate the wreck site, and the crustose corallines are primarily responsible for maintaining the structure of the atoll. Preliminary studies show that iron is corroding from the wreckage, which may be contributing to the maintenance of the algal bloom and inhibiting the recovery of the crustose coralline algae. The study is the first to demonstrate the serious, long-term effects of diesel fuel on an oceanic coral reef ecosystem. Recommendations for the future management of Rose Atoll NWR include: 1) Removing the wreckage to fascinate reef recovery by natural processes; and 2) continue to monitor the atoll to determine if is will recover from this event.