Mooring Buoy Projects

This is an ongoing project that aims at assisting resorts and villages in the installation and maintenance of moorings buoys. MES assisted Matamanoa Resort in 2004.

Why buoys?

Corals on reefs vary in many ways. Apart from appearance and size, the rate of their growth is an important factor that should be noted. While some hard corals of the common Acropora sp (branching, table like, or finger-like) may take months or a few years to grow back quickly when damaged, massive Non-Acropora sp coral can take as much as 500 to 1000 years to grow back once damaged.

Boat anchors can cause extensive damage to coral and reef structures or marine life when dropped from a boat. Moorings as permanent fixtures enable boats to tie up without dropping their anchor, and help prevent potential damage anchors may cause.

Moorings for Matamanoa since 2004

At the request of management, the MES visited Matamanoa to map out a new pathway for boats and install a number of mooring buoys for their snorkel, dive and fishing sites. This is great news as permanent moorings are eco-friendly, minimising the use of anchors and the overall anchor damage to the reef. The vessel entry is likened to a runway for boats as they enter the Matamanoa Island Resort waters and is applicable to all vessels, long boats and kayaks alike. This lessens the likelihood of boats running aground on the reef at low tide. Impact caused by outboard engines will be limited to the one area, preserving the rest of the Matamanoa reef.