M/V Alec Owen Maitland coral reef restoration monitoring report

Presents the results of the first three monitoring events to track the recovery of a repaired coral reef injured by the M/V Alec Owen Maitland vessel grounding incident of October 25, 1989. Grounding occurred within what is now known as the Key Largo NMS Existing Management Area within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), and restoration of the site was completed in September 1995. The monitoring program at the Maitland site includes an assessment of the structural stability of installed restoration armor units and coral recruitment patterns, to be performed nine, ten, twelve, and fifteen years after restoration. Results showed that restored areas have greater coral density and biodiversity than reference areas.