Hector J Ruiz Torres

Hector J Ruiz Torres, conducting business as HJR Reefscaping, is a minority-owned, Hispanic American-owned sole proprietorship based in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, that specializes in marine ecosystem research and monitoring services. The entity is registered in SAM.gov and maintains active federal vendor status with a UEI of CDESDNE7KER4. HJR Reefscaping provides scientific and technical consulting services focused on reef fish surveys, deep-water fishery research, spiny lobster management, and life history data collection for marine species throughout Puerto Rico, supporting federal agencies' missions to understand and predict changes in the marine environment.

HJR Reefscaping has received nine prime federal contract awards, all from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the Department of Commerce, totaling approximately $1.38 million in contract value. These contracts have been structured as both purchase orders and definitive contracts, with ceiling values ranging from $83,340 to $620,000. The most recent contracts awarded in September 2025 include a $99,900 firm fixed-price purchase order for commercial fishing vessels supporting the Puerto Rico Deepwater Reef Fish Survey 2026 and a $49,999.60 Total Small Business Set-Aside purchase order for shallow water reef fish survey support services for NOAA's Southeast Fisheries Science Center. Earlier awards include a $620,000 definitive contract for the Spiny Lobster Management Project in Puerto Rico (completion date February 28, 2029) and multiple purchase orders for deep-water and shallow-water fishery independent surveys ranging from $86,528.61 to $149,931. The scope of work across these contracts consistently involves providing vessels, captains, and trained observers; deploying and retrieving specialized fishing equipment including hook and line gear and remote stereo video systems; collecting biological samples and catch data; and gathering essential life history information on managed reef fish species such as snappers, groupers, triggerfish, parrotfish, and jacks. Most contracts carry no set-aside designation, though one 2025 award utilized a Total Small Business Set-Aside. Performance locations are consistently in Puerto Rico, with work typically scheduled through late 2026 or beyond.

HJR Reefscaping has received one prime federal grant award and participated as a sub-recipient on two federal grant awards. The prime grant is a $950,000 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Recovery Implementation program (CFDA 15.657), running from October 2024 through September 2029. This project involves collaborating with federal and local agencies, including the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, to install at least 50 new manatee waterway signs on pilings within manatee high-use areas in Puerto Rico to enhance manatee protection efforts and improve boater awareness of speed zones. As a sub-recipient, HJR Reefscaping has participated in two grant projects: an October 2023 sub-award under prime grantee Isla Mar Research Expeditions LLC involving database development, school outreach coordination, coral relocation efforts, and conference participation led by Executive Director Hector Ruiz; and an August 2023 sub-award under prime grantee Institute for Socio-Ecological Research, Inc., focused on coral ecosystem restoration and sustainability. In the latter project, HJR Reefscaping's team has expanded coral nurseries in Guanica and La Parguera to house 3,000 additional Acropora palmata colonies and constructed two new coral nurseries at El Ron and El Negro in Mayaguez to support the recovery of endangered reef-building coral species through nature-based solutions and habitat restoration initiatives targeting ESA-listed branching and massive coral species impacted by stony coral tissue loss disease.