Lessons Learned from 2023 Caribbean Bleaching Event

"As NOAA announces the fourth global bleaching event, restoration practitioners, scientists and reef managers across the Caribbean and Florida are assessing the actions they took to respond to the 2023 thermal event and planning for the possibility of similar conditions in 2024.

On May 13th from Noon-1:30 pm EST, practitioners across the region discussed actions that were implemented, and the lessons learned that could help inform future responses.

Heat Stress - What happened last year, what to expect this year: Dr. Derek Manzello of NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch characterized the 2023 global bleaching event and what to expect in 2024.

Bleach Response Actions: Caitlin Lustic of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) shared lessons learned from Florida’s intervention efforts. Practitioners from Puerto Rico (Dr. Claudia Ruiz), Dominica (Simon Walsh) and the USVI (Rachel Ionata, Matthew Davies, Logan Williams) described their actions during last year’s bleaching.

The topics included in-situ (shading, relocation, feeding) and ex-situ (nursery evacuation, genetic banking) responses.

Resilient Reefs: Fragments of Hope in Belize shared information about some amazing Acropora colonies, most of which survived after having been severely bleached in 2023.

The webinar was sponsored through the generous support of the Ocean Research and Education Foundation's AGRRA Program in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, Reef Resilience Program, NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program, and MPAConnect."