We visited Coffins' Patch on June 2nd around 9:45 am. Coffins' Patch was a partially man made coral reef, where a ship sank in 1733 with few remains. This has created a habitat for many organisms. This reef is a sanctuary protection area (SPA) which means no organisms can be removed from the site. The reef is bay side with average depths 10-15 feet deep, which was deeper water than the previous sites we went to. The site had high relief and the bottom sediment was made mostly of calcium carbonate from dead corals. It is a patch reef and coral dominated as the main coverage and organism; there was a mix of hard and soft corals. They were also the main primary producers for the area. The water quality was clear with low current caused by the tide and wind. Overall, there was very high diversity, mostly of fish, with few crustaceans. The species were larger and more colorful than at the other sites visited.
Primary Producers:
Sargassum spp.
Thalassia testudinum
Dictyota spp.
Corals:
Porietes astreoides
Stephanocoenia intersepta
Colpophyllia natans
Gorgonia ventalina
Gorgonia flabellum
Plexaura spp.
Siderastrea siderea
Siderastrea radians
Orbicella annularis
Orbicella faveolata
Porietes porietes
Diploria labyrinthiformes
Muricea spp.
Dichocoenia stokesi
Meandrina meandrites
Pseudopterogorgia spp.
Invertebrates:
Zoantharia
Fire coral
Barnacles
Millepora complanata
Sponges - tubes with open ostia on top
Sea urchins
Tube worms
Christmas tree worms
Fish:
Hogfish
Chug
Yellowtail snapper
Blue tang
Sergent major
French grunt
Nassau grouper
Red grouper
Black grouper
Queen angelfish
Grey angelfish
Bluehead wrasse
Honeycomb trunkfish
Nurse shark
Rock beauty
Yellowtail damselfish
Bicolor damselfish
Stoplight parrotfish
Midnight parrotfish
Queen parrotfish
Rainbow parrotfish
Pinfish
Great barracuda
Triggerfish
Southern stingray
High-hat
French angelfish
Burrfish
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