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Lending a Helping Hand to Corals
Aquarium of the Pacific staff aid coral restoration efforts in Guam.
Aquarium of the Pacific Senior Aquarist Jay Harvey studies corals in a protected reef area in Guam. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
September 5, 2024
Guam is one of many island groups in the Pacific Ocean, where coral reefs have been affected by rising sea temperatures resulting in their decline. Experts from the Aquarium of the Pacific traveled to the island nation in summer 2024 as part of a coral restoration effort through SECORE (Sexual Coral Reproduction) International.
Johnathan Casey, Aquarium of the Pacific curator of fish and invertebrates, and Senior Aquarist Jay Harvey, along with other international participants, helped to collect coral gametes or reproductive cells from around twenty coral colonies during nightly snorkel outings with special nets. The collected gametes were brought back to the lab in Guam and combined to reproduce the species. Participants hope this results in the formation of 300,000 coral embryos to help restore the local reef ecosystem.
A coral head spawns by releasing gametes into the water column at night. Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
SECORE International is a research organization that the Aquarium has partnered with since 2014 to further coral reproduction and restoration efforts. Aquarium staff members have assisted with coral conservation over the years not only in Guam, but also in Saipan, Curacao, the Bahamas, and Palau. SECORE is a non-profit organization that specializes in developing technology and techniques for large scale coral-reef restoration.
During their time in Guam this past summer, Casey, and Harvey, along with other participants from around the world, explored the current best practices from SECORE to restore coral reefs to their rich ecosystems and storm-weathering protectiveness for coastal communities. This involves collecting coral gametes, settling the coral larvae, and outplanting the young corals. SECORE International hopes there will be corals in the future to outplant on reefs in identified areas where coral restoration is critical such as Guam, Saipan, Hawaii, and American Samoa. The efforts of Casey, Harvey, and the SECORE team help get closer to this goal. Photo credits: Aquarium of the Pacific