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U.S. EPA, Biocriteria and Coral Reefs

Coral reef - photo by Wayne Davis USEPA

Under the Clean Water Act, states may adopt water quality criteria based on biological, as well as physical and chemical, criteria. Standards based on biological criteria (biocriteria) are powerful management tools because biological communities are dependable indicators of the health of an aquatic ecosystem.

The criteria are generated as narrative descriptions or numeric values that represent the biological condition of the community. Rigorous biological assessments are needed to identify metrics for a monitoring program and to set expectations for the water body. These are used to develop a scoring system to indicate the health of the water body and to develop biocriteria for each class or designated use.

Many states have biocriteria for locally important aquatic systems such as streams, lakes, and estuaries. This biological information allows states to compare biological condition across sites and over time, as well as provide a regulatory framework for action when a water body is found to be impaired.

EPA is committed to providing technical and regulatory guidance for states and territories on development and implementation of biocriteria for coral reefs. A technical guidance for a stony coral bioassessment was published in 2007 (see below). A framework for evaluating sensitivity of bioassessment metrics to climate change is under development. Additionally, EPA is working with states and territories that are already in the process of developing biocriteria for coral reefs. The following summarizes EPA's recent activities related to biocriteria. Please also see EPA's Web sites on:

Stony Coral Rapid Bioassessment Protocol (RBP). EPA's Stony Coral Rapid Bioassessment Protocol (RBP) is an inexpensive, no-contact, non-technical underwater survey procedure designed for jurisdictions with coral expertise but limited funding and personnel. The protocol focuses only on scleractinian (stony) reef-building corals because of their fundamental importance to coral reef ecology and ecosystem value. This focus provides vital information for reef assessment and provides a strong foundation for characterization of other reef attributes.

The principal purpose of the Stony Coral RPB is to introduce a simple and rapid coral survey method that provides multiple bioindicators to characterize coral condition for use in regulatory programs. It offers insight on indicator relevance to ecosystem services (societal values), reef condition and sustainability. Descriptions for obtaining 3D coral surface area from colony dimensions are included. Information regarding regulatory programs is provided and a few examples are presented to describe how bioassessment indicators can be incorporated into a biocriteria program to conserve coral resources.

Bioassessment Tools for Stony Corals. EPA completed the first phase of a biological survey in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands to inform and calibrate a long-term monitoring strategy for development of coral reef biocriteria. Using EPA's Ocean Survey Vessel BOLD as a platform for operations, EPA and USVI personnel completed physical and biological measurements of nearly 4,000 corals and 62 stations around St. Croix. In the first phase, stations were targeted to fulfill some of the requirements of a defensible long-term monitoring program; these included definition of management zones, reef types and sampling units, documentation of measurement variability and reference conditions, and characterization of metric responses to gradients of human activity. Data from the biological survey were used to validate metrics and the approach presented in the Rapid Bioassessment Protocol described above. Three publications have been finalized in support of this effort:

Coral Biocriteria and Climate Change. Climate variability and change can negatively impact sensitive coral reef ecosystems by altering sea surface temperatures, ocean chemistry, sea level, storm damage, precipitation patterns, stream flows to the coast, salinity, and pollution loads. EPA published a report that focuses on the coral reefs of American Samoa as a case study for how managers can approach:
(1) assessments of reef vulnerabilities to combined climate change and local stresses,
(2) identification of adaptive management strategies in response, and
(3) implementation of management options given existing decision processes and mandates.

EPA's Climate Change Program also has additional information on coral reefs.

Biocriteria Workshop. EPA held workshops in Guam and Honolulu to facilitate networking among the Pacific Islands for development of coral reef biocriteria. EPA's rapid bioassessment protocol for stony corals was presented along with status reports from each island. CNMI has completed bioassessments, developed sensitive metrics, and will propose coral reef biocriteria for adoption in their water quality standards. American Samoa is also developing coral biocriteria using similar methods. CNMI and American Samoa have led efforts to develop coral biocriteria in the Pacific and will likely be one of the first to propose and adopt biocriteria for coral reefs in the U.S. Recommendations were developed regarding improved narrative criteria, protecting water quality during coral spawning, and assistance needed to move forward on biocriteria in the states and territories. A national workshop on coral biocriteria was also held in conjunction with the May 2006 Coral Reef Task Force meeting.

EPA Coral Reef Research

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Biological Indicators | Aquatic Biodiversity | Statistical Primer

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