In February 2008, the tanker M/T FICUS went aground near Goudling Cay off the western end of New Providence Island, Bahamas.  CSA was contracted by the Bahamas Environment, Science and Technology (BEST) Commission to conduct a reef injury assessment, emergency restoration, and monitoring surveys for two years post-restoration to document recovery of the impacted site.

CSA conducted restoration activities in June 2008, which included fouling paint removal/disposal, biological reattachment, rubble stabilization/reattachment, and tagging/mapping of representative reattached biota for monitoring.  Over 730 hard and soft corals were reattached within 14 direct impact areas.  Dislodged and fractured substrate (rubble) was used to re-create lost topographic relief within the grounding site.  Year 1 monitoring data indicated an increase in vertical relief and canopy structure providing habitat and low coral mortality with minor tissue loss.  Additional monitoring is scheduled to occur.