Coral Protection and Restoration-Funded Project Update: Coral REEF Lab

The Coral Protection and Restoration Program (CPR) continues to administer state and federal funding to implement priority reef management and research objectives. One funded project led by Dr. Nikki Fogarty titled Optimizing Reproductive Success of Corals Spawned in Land-based Nurseries, is using innovative methods to improve upon aquaria induced coral spawning, larval survival, settlement and growout. They are evaluating the impacts of artificial light on spawning, crustose coralline algae’s microbiome community composition on larval settlement cues and if certain chemicals or compounds increase settlement rates. The coral spawning in the picture is their largest Orbicella faveolata (left) and the baby coral is an eight-week-old O. faveolata recruit that is developing well and has started to acquire symbionts (right).