The NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Region’s coral reef ecosystem conservation activities include projects in Florida, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Navassa Island (http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/). These activities are part of NOAA Fisheries’ efforts on behalf of the Coral Reef Task Force established by President Clinton in June 1998 through Executive Order #13089 to “preserve and protect the biodiversity, health, heritage, and social and economic value of U.S. coral reef ecosystems and the marine environment.” The activities are also executed pursuant to the Coral Reef Conservation Act, which provides funding for NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) (http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov/). Coral reef ecosystem conservation activities also support and strengthen efforts related to the implementation of NOAA mandates under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Corals

Coral reefs are formed by living organisms known as corals. The corals that form reefs grow in colonies and deposit calcium carbonate creating massive rocky structures that provide habitat for many organisms. Within each coral thousands of unicellular algae known as zooxanthellae are found living in the coral’s tissue in symbiosis with the coral. In addition to coral reefs, corals can be found colonizing rocks and other hard surfaces forming coralline communities. Because corals live in relatively shallow waters near the coast, they can suffer impacts from various human activities, including coastal development, boat use, and fishing.

Seagrass Beds

Seagrasses are true plants possessing leaves, flowers, and roots. Seagrasses produce their own food (energy) using sunlight. They are adapted to living submerged in shallow areas where they can receive sunlight. In Puerto Rico, the most common seagrasses are manatee and turtle grass, whose common names are due to their importance as food for manatees and turtles, respectively. Seagrass beds are also areas where juveniles of commercially important species such as lobsters, queen conch, and snappers spend part of their life cycle and are also habitat to many other species. Seagrasses can be found around the island of Puerto Rico in areas close to beaches, which results in their being impacted by beach and other coastal activities.

Mangroves

Coastal mangrove forests are composed of shrubs and trees that tolerate high concentrations of salt and/or are adapted to being exposed to high salinity concentrations. There are four species of mangrove found in the Caribbean. These trees are the main components of mangrove forests and are: red mangrove (grows exposed to the tides), black mangrove (can grow in the more saline soil), white mangrove (often grows between red and black mangroves), and the button mangrove (grows in sandy and rocky areas above the high tide line). Mangroves protect the coast from strong wave action and swells. Mangrove forests provide nursery habitat for some fish species, serve as filters trapping sediment from runoff, and provide habitat for many species of migratory birds, fish, and other organisms that use their roots as areas for protection or to adhere to. These systems, just like seagrass beds and coral reefs, are impacted by human activities that are carried out in the forests themselves and along the Puerto Rico coast.