WHAT DO WE DO?

CORE. What is CORE? You may have heard of us, maybe not. Either way, we're glad you're here. Clearly if you got this far, you're either very lost down an internet rabbit hole of marine conservation, or you're genuinely  interested in marine stewardship, community engagement, education, ecology, and opportunity. Located throughout the beautiful US Virgin Islands, CORE's efforts are working to preserve and protect our natural beauty for generations to come.

Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to peruse our initiatives below. Pick one, pick a few, or get involved with them all!
Picture
Credit: Matthew Sims

Lionfish Mitigation

2 Lionfish Derbies Annually to remove as many invasive lionfish in a day as we can, awarding prizes of all sorts to participants.

Twice Monthly Lionfish Hunts aboard SCUBA DOS on the west end of St. Croix for the best boat dive deal on the island.

Toxic Sunscreen Elimination

Passing a law banning -benzone containing sunscreens from the territory due to their unfortunate side effect of suffocating corals. (Hint: Zinc or Titanium Dioxide sunscreen works much better anyway)

Ensuring proper signage is visible at all port entrances to inform visitors of the law.

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Treatment

Treating diseased corals with a combination of amoxicillin and Base2B marine epoxy to help stop the spread of the bacterial infection.

Treated 10's of thousands of corals over a period of two years, as well as taking thousands of photo to act as historical records of the corals that existed in these waters.

Coral Nurseries

Creation and management of an in-situ coral nursery in Leinster Bay, St. John.

Sitting within VI National Park waters, this nursery provides an opportunity to monitor and grow coral, restore habitat, and collect fragments of opportunity to give a new lease on life.

Additionally, this nursery provides an in water classroom to allow local high school divers a chance for some in-water learning.

Pulse Corals

Under a valuable scientific research permit, CORE is ready to act upon the arrival of invasive pulse corals.

We work closely with DPNR to keep current with best management practices, allowing CORE to be well positioned for the impending threat of this new invasive species.