On Wednesday, March 21st, 2012, two RMTP debris survey and removal outings were conducted with 2 different crews. In the morning, the Bierce's from Ohio removed a total of 3 tires, with the afternoon crew removing 6 more. During the morning outing David, Tom, and Cassidy accompanied me on a dive of the NW corner of the marine reserve. We surveyed a nice portion of the area and did not find any debris. The reef appears healthy and fish populations are beginning to slowly rebound.
The afternoon crew, Scott Cotner, Kendra Engstrom, and Celeste Pawol helped remove 6 tires, a derelict anchor, plastic debris, old rope, and boat debris. All of these items were removed from the sandy area offshore from the shoreline reef that stretches from Calle Surf to the Black Eagle Marina.
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| The deepest part of the marine reserve, the northwest corner, is a bustling reef habitat with hard and soft corals, sponges, schools of fish, and an abundance of invertebrates. |
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| Under a ledge this mixture of grunts, parrotfish, snappers, and tangs take shelter for the day. |
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| The Bierce's were stoked to help out! |
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| The afternoon crew worked hard to remove 6 medium-sized tires and a host of other items off of the substrate. |
Contact Wessley Merten at 787-436-8300 or wessley.merten@upr.edu for more information on helping out in this coral reef restoration and marine debris removal effort.
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