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For the first time ever, endangered Atlantic pillar corals have spawned through lab-induced techniques. The scientific breakthrough occurred this week in a research Laboratory at The Florida Aquarium Center for Conservation in Apollo Beach as part of Project Coral. Scientists believe the historic breakthrough could help you save corals in the Florida Reef Tract from extinction.
This conservation effort makes it possible to reproduce coral sexual reproduction using modern technology. This is a world-first coral reef restoration and research advancement in which Atlantic coral, living for several years at the Center as part of a genetic archive, has been reproduced through induced spawning, setting a new stage for saving coral reefs in Florida and the Caribbean.
"When history is made, there is hope, and today's scientific breakthrough by The Florida Aquarium's team of coral experts gives us real hope that we can save the Florida Reef Tract from extinction," said Roger Germann, The Florida Aquarium President and CEO. "And, while many coral experts did not believe it could be done, we would have taken this challenge to heart and dedicated our resources and expertise to achieve this monumental outcome. We remain proudly committed to saving North America's barrier to recovery and restore our Blue Planet. "
The Florida Aquarium and the Horniman Museum and Gardens, based in London, joined forces in late 2017 to save coral reefs by predictably inducing the corals to spawn in the laboratory- a major technique to help coral restoration that has been accomplished with Pacific coral species. The partnership with The Florida Aquarium took the research protocols developed in the Horniman's lab, and applied them in the Florida Aquarium's state-of-the-art coral conservation facilities.
The Florida Aquarium coral conservation team mimicking the natural environment of corals using advanced technology to reproduce the timing of sunrises, sunsets, moonrises and moonsets to trigger the animals to spawn.
"The massive and fully synchronized spawning at The Florida Aquarium 's Center for Conservation, which is exactly what we are saying," said senior Coral Scientist Keri O'Neil. "When you have a great husbandry, great water quality, and all of the right environmental cues, this is what you can do, you can change the game for coral restoration."
The Florida Aquarium is providing even more expertise to enhance this project with plans to repopulate coral reefs along with the Florida Reef Tract.
"We could have had this important work, especially the Horniman Museum and Gardens, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the Nova Southeastern University, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Working together, the future of the Florida Reef Tract just got a lot brighter, "Germann added.
This project is a "head start" program for coral – the aquarium will raise the juvenile corals long enough to give them a better chance of survival than they would have had in the ocean. This effort brings the Florida Aquarium Center for Conservation scientists to a huge step closer to helping restore Florida's reefs.
This breakthrough is just one of the Florida Aquarium coral projects currently underway. Aquarium researchers are working on different approaches to save multiple endangered species of coral that are imperative to the restoration and overall health of the Florida Reef Tract.
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