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EOP Gold Coral (Gerardia sp.) Growth Measurements

Published by Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: August 02, 2026 at 11:16 PM | Dataset Last Updated: June 15, 2026 at 10:15 PM
Gold coral (Gerardia sp.) trees that were inspected years earlier on Pisces submersible dives were revisited and their change in size measured. The fishery for Gerardia operates using an estimate of average growth at 6mm/yr which would yield adult trees in a span of a few to several decades. In contrast independent radiometric studies suggest that large adult Gerardia colonies could be as much as a millenia old. The intent of this work was to revisit corals that had been inspected earlier and see if any appreciable growth could be seen. If not then the 6mm/yr estimate could be dismissed.

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