TCRMP Coral Health Assessment at Salt River, St, Croix Great star coral affected by Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease
Sonora Meiling 2019
The U.S. Virgin Islands
Territorial Coral Reef
Monitoring Program (TCRMP) welcomes you!
What is the USVI TCRMP?
The TCRMP is a central component of coral reef management and research in the U.S. Virgin islands. Our vision is to provide critical information on the status and threats to all Virgin Islands coral reef ecosystems in order to increase management effectiveness and improve basic and applied coral reef research. TCRMP has contributed critical information on coral reef trajectories, land-based sources of pollution, thermal stress and coral bleaching, and fisheries status since its inception in 2001. The program consists of annual to semi-annual assessments of coral health, benthic community structure, fish community structure, and physical dynamics at 33 sites down to 65 m (220 ft) depth.
TCRMP Study Sites
TCRMP Objectives
01
Monitor the status and trajectories of coral reefs across a majority of habitats and threats, including land-based sources of pollution and thermal stress.
02
Link changes in coral reef health with specific stressors, indicating specific management interventions most effective for preserving reefs.
03
Integrate assessments of understudied mesophotic coral reef ecosystems and threatened species in the USVI.
04
Provide data, outputs, and advice to stakeholders and create a nexus of information in reef research.
Diver photographs an Orbicella colony during the bleaching event of 2023 in Cane Bay, STX
Photo Credit: Nicole Krampitz
Dr.Tyler Smith performs a coral health survey on an Orbicella colony in Cane Bay, STX
Photo Credit: Leslie Henderson