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Spanning approximately 350 miles, from the St Lucie Inlet all the way to the Dry Tortugas, Florida is home to the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States. This underwater wonderland is full of marine life, fuels tourism, protects shorelines, and supports many local communities. However, in recent decades, that vibrant reef has faced a serious decline in coral life. Climate change, disease, overfishing, and pollution have left the reef bleached, broken, and barren. If we want to preserve this vital ecosystem for future generations, we need to take action now.
Thankfully, a number of coral restoration programs are doing exactly that. Let’s take a deep dive into the behind the scenes actions of how these organizations are working to rebuild Florida’s coral reefs - one fragment at a time. From coral nurseries to the outplanting and cleaning process, we’ll find out how these efforts work, and show you how you can get involved in helping save our reefs.
Before coral can be grown in a man made environment, it must first be collected. This is done by either fragmenting existing coral colonies, or by harvesting coral gametes during spawning events. In the case of fragmenting, small pieces of coral are taken from healthy donor colonies found on natural reefs, and then these fragments are collected by trained divers and transported to a nursery. Alternatively, during a coral spawning event, often aligned with full moons, scientists collect coral gametes from the water, and then fertilize them in a controlled environment.
The growing of coral takes place in nurseries, which can be located both on land and out in the ocean. Land-based nurseries, such as Mote Marine Laboratory's facility in Key Largo, cultivate coral in controlled environments, allowing for close care and monitoring. These on land facilities use “coral raceways”, which are long, shallow tanks or troughs where the coral is grown under conditions meant to mimic those of the reefs by controlling water flow, light levels, and temperature. Ocean-based nurseries on the other hand, like those managed by Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF), use man-made underwater structures to grow the coral on. One of the more common structures used are known as “coral trees”, which are made out of PVC frames. These trees are anchored to the ocean floor, and have a buoy hanging subsurface at the top to keep them upright and give them the ability to move freely with the waves and current. They have multiple branches sticking out where the coral either hangs off of monofilament lines, sits on the branches, or sits on a tray placed on top of the branches.
As we covered earlier, fragmenting is a process where healthy donor corals are carefully broken into smaller pieces, or fragments. However, fragmenting is not only used as a collection process. Sometimes, coral restoration organizations will cut the healthy corals that they already have growing into smaller pieces as well. The reasoning behind fragmentation is that when coral is fragmented it creates a cut that the coral perceives as an injury, which initiates a rapid healing process where tissue repair and cell division are accelerated. Additionally, the surface area to volume ratio of the fragmented coral pieces is larger than the pre-fragmented coral, which allows for the coral to take in more nutrients, and grow at a faster rate.
One issue we would run into if fragmenting was our only form of coral restoration is that there would be no genetic variation amongst the coral. Since fragmenting coral is a form of asexual reproduction, there is no genetic difference between the original coral, and the new fragment. The problem with this is that a less diverse population is more likely to die off in the case of a disease out-break due to all of the corals being genetically the same. When coral reproduces sexually however, a new batch of genotypes is produced in the process. To simulate the process of sexual reproduction amongst corals in nurseries, scientists have begun to simulate lunar cycles through specialized lighting and controlling water temperatures. By doing this, they can induce corals to spawn in controlled environments, which allows for the cultivation of genetically diverse corals, increasing the resilience against diseases and environmental changes.
Once corals have matured enough to be put onto a reef, they are transported onto degraded areas of the reef. To begin the planting process, divers start by first cleaning off the designated site - removing algae and debris to ensure a suitable surface for attachment. The corals are then placed onto the area using marine epoxy or cement. The corals are strategically placed to allow for long-term growth and fusion into larger coral colonies.
Using these strategies, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, Coral Restoration Foundation, and many other coral restoration organizations have planted hundreds of thousands of corals in Florida. Mote Marine and Coral Restoration Foundation have both planted around a quarter million corals each since their beginnings.
After the coral is planted, ongoing maintenance and monitoring is crucial. Divers regularly check on and clean the corals to prevent overgrowth of algae and monitor for signs of disease. Coral Restoration Foundation has an innovative process for tracking their planted corals through photomosaics - huge composite photos of a reef that are created by stitching together thousands of smaller images taken of the reef from above. These maps are similar to a satellite imagery map that we may use on our phones today, but of the reef they are monitoring. Their CeruleanAI tool has made creating these photomosaics and tracking the reef much easier by automating the process.
There are numerous ways to get involved and contribute to the ongoing coral restoration of our reefs:
Volunteering: Many of these organizations are always looking for extra volunteers to help with the work they do, visit their websites to learn more. Many even offer hands-on trips to their nurseries and planting sites.
Support Research: Even if you do not have the time or opportunity to ever volunteer with any of these organizations, they all accept donations through their websites that help them fund their research and restoration of our reefs.
Why is Florida’s barrier reef so important?
Florida’s barrier reef supports marine life, fuels Florida’s tourism and fishing industries, and protects its coastline. In fact, a healthy reef can reduce wave energy by up to 97%, which helps prevent coastal erosion, flooding, and damage to infrastructure. In a state where highly-populated coastal communities are vulnerable to intense storms such as hurricanes, the reef plays a critical role in protecting lives and property.
What caused Florida’s reef to decline over the past few decades?
A number of factors have played a role in the decline of Florida’s reefs. Rising ocean temperatures from climate change have caused coral bleaching - where corals lose their symbiotic algae that provide them energy and nutrients causing them to turn white, and often leading to death of the coral. Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease has also spread rapidly since 2014, a disease which impacts a wide variety of corals and has a very high mortality rate. Other contributing factors include pollution, anchor and diver damage, overfishing, and ocean acidification.
What would a volunteer day with a coral restoration program look like?
Volunteer days with many of the coral restoration programs start with a morning briefing and educational session covering coral biology, reef threats, and the restoration process. Then, volunteers head out on a dive to a nursery or reef sight where activities include cleaning, collecting data, or planting coral fragments. Some tasks require volunteers to be SCUBA certified, but many programs offer non-diver activities. It is a hands-on and rewarding experience that directly contributes to the recovery of our reefs.
How does fragmenting help coral grow faster?
Fragmenting is the process of cutting corals into smaller pieces, which stimulates a natural healing process that accelerates growth.
What is a lunar cycle simulation and why is it used in coral restoration?
Using artificial lighting systems that mimic moonlight patterns, scientists trigger corals to spawn. Corals are broadcast spawners, meaning they release eggs and sperm into the water at specific times of the lunar cycle which then fertilize in the water. By inducing corals to spawn, coral restoration programs can create more genetically diverse coral larvae that are more resilient and likely to survive on the reef.
