What the Georgia Aquarium is doing to aid reef restoration

The Georgia Aquarium is home to one of the largest coral reef exhibits in the world and their efforts in reef restoration is key to the future of coral reef protection.

Inside the Georgia Aquarium reef exhibit, there are 200 different species of corals. The aquarium also does lots of behind-the-scenes research on hard and soft tropical corals, aiming to send these coral fragment offspring into the ocean for reef building. Since 2010 the Georgia Aquarium has been a part of an effort with the Coral Restoration Foundation to restore the Molasses Reef off the coast of the coast of Key Largo.

What exactly is coral fragging and why is the Georgia Aquariums efforts so important in the Florida Keys?

The Molasses Reef, a reef located in the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary, saw record high temps over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. When temperatures reach this high, corals start to stress, and the consequences are a threat to the whole reef. At times of high stress, most reef-building corals lose their zooxanthellae, an algae that helps the corals photosynthesize and give the corals the food they need for survival. When more and more zooxanthellae are expelled, the corals begin to turn white and die since they have no way of getting food, and they lose their color, this is more commonly known as coral bleaching. According to the NOAA, since the 1970s Florida has a loss of over 90% of its coral cover, not just due to rising temperatures but also to pollution, hurricanes, and other human activity.

Coral fragging is the process where pieces of a larger coral are cut off and relocated onto rocks to grow new coral in areas like the Molasses Reef. The Georgia Aquarium has logged over 1000 hours building coral communities in the Molasses Reef. In the image below you can also see another method used to grow new coral colonies, by

Image of a via the Georgia Aquarium website

I truly was impressed and inspired by the work of those at the Georgia Aquarium, and team members outside the aquarium property lines are doing for coral reef conservation. The exhibit gave insight about their work, and why it is important in easy-to-read visuals around the room. This also makes it easier for younger children to understand the importance of coral fragging through an interactive station, teaching kids how coral fragging works.

All images from the Georgia Aquarium