This May, more than 1,000 juvenile elkhorn corals made their way from Apollo Beach, FL down to the Florida Keys, marking a powerful moment of collaboration between The Florida Aquarium and Coral Restoration Foundation™ (CRF).
CRF welcomed about 300 of these coral recruits to our Tavernier Nursery on May 9th, the largest open-ocean nursery of its kind in the world. These elkhorn juveniles are now growing under the care of our restoration team and will one day help rebuild degraded reef sites across the Keys.
These coral babies born at The Florida Aquarium’s Coral Conservation and Research Center spawned from rescued parent colonies that survived Florida’s unprecedented 2023 mass bleaching event. These corals delivered were collected, spawned, and reared with support from the NOAA Restoration Center, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
The summer of 2023 dealt a devastating blow to Florida’s coral populations. Record-breaking marine heatwaves triggered widespread coral bleaching across the region. But thanks to the foresight and coordination between land- and ocean-based practitioners, there were survivors.
Now, CRF and our restoration partners are working to raise these juvenile elkhorn corals in ocean-based nurseries across the Keys.
After careful acclimation at Keys Marine Laboratory, the corals were distributed to four restoration groups:
- Coral Restoration Foundation™
- Mote Marine Laboratory
- Reef Renewal USA
- Sustainable Ocean and Reefs (SOAR)
Each partner will care for their corals until they are ready to be returned to the wild, where they will be outplanted at key locations within NOAA’s Mission: Iconic Reefs restoration sites.
Nearly all the fragments were Acropora palmata, including several founder genotypes, genetically unique individuals that are invaluable to our broader restoration strategy. By genebanking copies of each genotype and outplanting the remaining corals, we’re increasing the genetic diversity of our Acropora stock, which is vital for long-term reef resilience.
Among the collection was also a staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) previously used by The Florida Aquarium in spawning research; it has now joined our spawning alley in preparation for the summer season.
This project highlights the strength of cross-organizational collaboration, with each partner contributing its unique expertise. CRF™ brings extensive field experience, large-scale infrastructure, and innovative tools that make efforts like this not only possible but replicable.
Florida’s Coral Reef is essential to the health of the ocean and the communities that depend on it. Healthy coral reefs support marine biodiversity, protect coastlines, and fuel local economies through fishing, tourism, and recreation.
As these young corals settle into life in our Tavernier Nursery, they represent more than the success of a single project, they symbolize what’s possible when science, innovation, and collaboration come together with a shared mission.
Learn more and be part of the solution at coralrestoration.org.
Written by: Chelsea Co, Digital Marketing Coordinator
