International Journal of Marine Science, 2024, Vol.14, No.5, 321-331 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ijms 328 like Acropora spp. (Veron, 2000; Harrison and Wallace, 2012). The use of M. digitata in the coral nursery could provide several advantages including faster growth rates (Mumby and Harborne, 2010) and high resilience to temperature stress (Meroz-Fine et al., 2016) and bleaching event (personal observation). 4 Materials and Methods 4.1 Study area The study was conducted in Anantara Dhigu Lagoon, located on a reef system on the eastern rim of South Malé Atoll, GPS coordinates: 3.973047, 73.500734 (Permit number PA/CN-CR/2023/05). The site is characterized by a heavily modified reef system encompassing natural and reclaimed islands (Figure 5). The nearest protected area, Guraidhoo Kanduolhi, is approximately 9 km southwest. Figure 5 Satellite image of the islands There are no protected areas or declared environmentally sensitive areas within this reef system. The nearest protected area is located about 9 km SW of the reef (Guraidhoo Kanduolhi) and the nearest environmentally sensitive area is Coco Thila located about 7 km SW of the reef. Map prepared by CDE consulting in September 2022. 4.2 Nursery designs and coral fragments The nursery designs employed in the study were rope-based and table-based coral nurseries. Ropes-based nurseries were made of 2 metal staples 1 m × 2 m with ropes of a length of 8 m. Metal staples were made from stainless steel 316 bars (SS316) and welded from Anantara’s Engineering Department on the island. Each nursery supported 5 ropes. The ropes consisted of 8 mm twisted PP nylon (Veligaa Hardware, Maldives, approximately 500 kg~800 kg breaking strength) and hosted 25~30 coral fragments (Figure 6). Metal tables-based coral nurseries were square 1 m × 1 m, with a 10 cm × 10 cm grid, double coated with cement and sand to avoid the spread of rust and create a suitable substrate for the corals. The metal tables, welded on the island by Anantara’s Engineering Department, were made of 8 mm iron rode bar. Each nursery hosted 25~30 coral
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