A coral rescue organization announced Thursday that scientists successfully bred an endangered species of coral as part of a project to recover damaged reefs off the coast of Florida threatened by a relatively new disease.
The 2,000-square-foot, cutting-edge Florida Coral Rescue Center (FCRC) is a member facility of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Florida Reef Tract Rescue Project (AZA-FRTRP) and the country's largest Florida Coral Rescue program holding facility. It is now also the proud parent of hundreds of new rough cactus corals.
The reproduction, known as larval release, has been going on for a few weeks now. It is thought to be the first documented instance of this endangered species reproducing in human care.
SeaWorld, a marine animal theme park company, operates the Florida Coral Rescue Center, which is partially funded by the Disney Conservation Fund.
SeaWorld oversees the FCRC, where its aquarists care for rescued Florida corals. FCRC has 18 coral species from the Florida Reef Tract (also known as Florida's Coral Reef), including species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
In an interview, Florida Coral Rescue Center administrator Justin Zimmerman said, "It's conceivable to distribute these corals...to the point where you could put some of these corals back into the wild." "And there's a chance you'll save the species in the process."
These corals are anticipated to be part of a large-scale breeding (propagation) effort that will result in offspring that will be used to restore Florida's Coral Reef. The FCRC now has over 700 corals in its care. The State of Florida has approved FCRC's work with Florida corals, which is critical to the SCTLD response plan.
"Large numbers of offspring produced by rescued corals will be critical for the restoration of Florida's coral reef," Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission's Gil McRae said.
The stony coral tissue loss disease, which robs coral of its color and ultimately its life, poses a growing threat to the reefs of Florida and the Caribbean.
It kills 66% -100% of the species it affects, making it deadlier than the more well-known coral bleaching phenomena, which is usually triggered by rising ocean temperatures linked to climate change.
The disease of stony coral tissue loss is another threat to the world's coral reefs, which are already facing extinction due to climate change.
Coral reef destruction is one of the many concerns campaigners hope to raise awareness about during this year's Earth Day observance on Friday.
The FWC's objective is to manage fish and wildlife resources for the long-term benefit of people and the environment. Visit MyFWC.com for additional information.
