DoE Commences Salvage Work On Damaged Corals

Department of Environment (DoE) staff commenced emergency salvage work yesterday (Wednesday, 17 February) on coral allegedly damaged by the M/V Tatoosh, after receiving an independent coral restoration expert's report of a comprehensive assessment of the injury site.

'We now are in the position to begin emergency caching of dislodged corals, whose survival is at immediate risk the longer they remain unattached', said DoE Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie.

'This temporary stabilisation and removal of coral to a safe location (caching) is typically carried out following completion of an injury assessment, to minimise further impact to the living tissue of corals that are candidates for reattachment'.