Coral Nursery at Biscayne a First
Park attempts to grow coral in a natural setting
BISCAYNE N.P., FLA.-As clear turquoise waters roll gently toward shore and birds float upon the gentle tropical breezes, Biscayne National Park doesn't appear to be under siege. But beneath the water, coral—a core element of the marine ecosystem—has been disappearing at an alarming rate because of careless boaters, warming waters, and disease caused by pollution. To counter the trend, the Park Service has now created one of the first coral nurseries in a natural environment.
Researchers have been growing coral within laboratories for many years, but the Park Service expects the bay will accommodate a large-scale operation that cannot be created in an aquarium. The agency has set a goal of growing 2,000 colonies.
Worldwide, coral reefs are experiencing enormous losses. Ship groundings, destructive fishing practices, tropical storms, global climate change, and pollution are killing off creatures that create the reefs that provide habitat for many species of fish, mollusks, and crustaceans that feed, grow, and reproduce in them. The south Florida coral reef tract—the only system within continental U.S. waters—has declined 25 to 40 percent in the last 50 years.
"If this project is successful, it could serve as a model for other coral reef parks experiencing similar losses," said Mary Munson, NPCA South Florida program director.
"This is a positive example where the National Park Service is not only working to protect a resource but increase its abundance."
To initiate the project, researchers will collect spawn, small pieces of living coral from healthy structures, and fragments that have been torn from the reef. Coral less than three inches in diameter will be cultivated in one of the four nurseries inside the bay, and larger pieces will be reattached to the reef if possible.
An immediate challenge for the program is to find a natural substance to reattach the coral; the current glue does not allow natural erosion, a process that creates nooks and crevices to conceal small creatures.
Unfortunately, finding the small coral fragments has not been a problem, said Richard Curry, the project's manager. The park records about 200 ship groundings annually in the bay and estimates that number represents only 20 percent of the actual groundings. "Often the only ones we find out about are when the people are stuck and have to be rescued," he said.
Increasing water temperature, which stresses the coral and causes bleaching, is also taking a toll on the reef. In water above 88 degrees Fahrenheit, the coral loses its ability to exchange oxygen and nutrients and protect itself. To lessen environmental stresses, the agency has located the nurseries in four tidal channels that have a variety of hydrological flows and temperatures.
Curry believes that the nursery is a long-term project. But it may not be that costly. Much of the $50,000 for this year's budget has gone to startup expenses, and already several volunteers have come forward to participate.
