As we watch the world’s coral reefs die off with increasing speed, scientists all over the world are working to save them. Now, it looks like some researchers at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, FL may have found the key to their survival.
In a new report, they’ve announced that they have gotten a group of coral to reproduce for two days in a row. This is the first time this has ever been accomplished in a laboratory setting. The experiment, dubbed ‘Project coral,’ is a partnership between the Florida Aquarium and the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London. If they succeed, they’ll have created the largest lab-created Coral Egg Deposits in the world. Those eggs will then be used to repopulate the Florida Reef Tract.
Florida’s barrier reef is actually the third-largest in the world, but it has suffered the same pollution and climate-related problems as other major reefs around the world like Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. While there are differences between the reef in Florida and Australia, it’s believed that the successes they’ve already had at the Florida Aquarium can be applied to saving reefs around the world.
Source: Inhabitat