Specially bred baby coral heading to new home on the Florida coast

AccuWeather

After a heat wave killed thousands of coral in the Florida Keys in 2023, marine biologists have been working to grow new coral better adapted to our changing climate.

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00:00Just in time for summer, these tea cup-sized coral are graduating from their nursery,

00:07headed for the turquoise waters off the Florida Keys.

00:10Almost 1100 baby coral were raised at the Florida Aquarium near Tampa, Florida.

00:15Just last week, they were packed up into special coolers for the six-hour drive

00:19to their new home on the reef.

00:22In July 2023, record ocean temperatures off the Keys sparked a devastating die-off.

00:28Thousands of coral were literally boiled alive as ocean temperatures hit triple digits.

00:34The extreme heat wave caused the corals to expel algae in their tissue, bleaching the coral's tissue white.

00:41Since then, marine biologists and conservationists have been working to save the largest coral reef system in the U.S.

00:48It really drastically altered these populations of Elkhorn coral and Staghorn coral.

00:53Elkhorn coral, one of the most critically endangered species in Florida waters,

00:58is at the heart of the restoration effort.

01:00These baby coral are now being planted along the reef or nurtured in ocean nurseries

01:05until they're ready to grow on the ocean floor.

01:08And unlike clones, these coral include new genetic mixes,

01:12a key to helping the reef adapt to a changing climate.

01:16Researchers hope these new coral will provide shelter for marine life

01:20and even help protect coastlines from future storms.

01:23We're putting out several hundred more individuals that have never been on the reef before

01:27and spreading genetics around.

01:29Then, you know, we're saying we're making a much greater impact.

01:33The hope is these coral babies will guide future breeding efforts,

01:36producing hardier offspring to better survive warmer, more extreme ocean conditions.

01:42For AccuWeather, I'm Leslie Hudson reporting.

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