Description: The project aimed to restock the Diadema Antillarum (sea-urchin) population in the Saba Marine Park, Saba National Park, and St Eustatius Marine Park, targeting specific patch reefs covering 300 m2 to mitigate algae overgrowth. Staff collected and nurtured approximately 800 Diadema settlers in an on-land nursery equipped with 18 settlers and 2 grow-out tanks. Within 6 months, a remarkable 100% survival rate was achieved, with observed growth averaging 1.5 cm. Despite initial success, a setback occurred when an attempt to restock 2 patch reefs totalling 60 m2 at an 8-metre depth with 200 sea urchins resulted in predation by hogfish within 2 days, preventing the restocking effort. Nonetheless, this project underscored successful nursery-rearing techniques, demonstrating potential for future reef restoration endeavours through the acquisition and nurturing of sea-urchin settlers. The project’s ultimate goal was to sustain the ecological and economic roles of the coral reefs within the region, addressing the critical issue of the algae population.
Duration: 19 months
