A series of six 30,000-gallon tanks are used by Reef Renewal to grow corals. A recent drop in ocean temperatures is allowing scientists to step up coral out-planting projects.
A Coral Restoration Foundation diver conducts coral out-planting earlier.
Photo provided by CORAL RESTORATION FOUNDATION
Corals at the Reef Renewal center are now being grown larger prior to out-planting to increase the chances of survival.
CONTRIBUTED
A series of six 30,000-gallon tanks are used by Reef Renewal to grow corals. A recent drop in ocean temperatures is allowing scientists to step up coral out-planting projects.
MONROE COUNTY — With local water temperatures dropping significantly in the past several weeks, some Florida Keys coral restoration groups will resume out-planting corals in the coming days and weeks.
Many of the coral restoration practitioners suspended planting of nursery-grown coral along the Florida Reef in the summer because of concerns of another bleaching event, similar to the devastating one in the summer of 2023. The optimal temperature range for corals is 73.4 to 84.2 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water temperature rises above the range, corals experience heat stress and expel the algae that live in their tissues that provide the colonies with nutrients and color.
