PREVIEW

**VIDEO AVAILABLE: CONTACT INFO@COVERMG.COM TO RECEIVE**

Scientists are making a Herculean effort to combat the detrimental effects of rising ocean temperatures on Florida's coral reefs.
Scientists from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science have ventured to Honduras to source resilient coral species that could potentially safeguard Florida's reefs against climate change.
This initiative focuses on the reefs of Tela Bay, situated off Honduras' northern coast. Unlike many other reefs that suffer from coral bleaching due to high temperatures, the corals in Tela Bay flourish despite routinely experiencing heat levels that would devastate other ecosystems. These reefs, often exposed to freshwater from a nearby lagoon and characterized by murky, low-visibility waters, demonstrate remarkable resilience to both heat stress and disease. Particularly abundant are the elkhorn corals, thriving in the bay's shallow regions.
The project is spearheaded by Andrew Baker, a professor of marine biology and ecology and the director of the Coral Reef Futures Lab at the Rosenstiel School. He, along with graduate students Alexandra Wen, Fabrizio Lepiz Conejo, and Cailyn Joseph, collaborated with Antal Borcsok, the co-founder and CEO of Tela Marine, a local science organization. Borcsok has long advocated for the unique value of Tela's reefs.
The team collected hundreds of DNA samples from ten coral species and 13 live fragments of elkhorn coral, as well as 21 small brain coral colonies. These samples, now in Miami, will be used in a world-first attempt to breed corals from different countries to enhance their heat tolerance.
“These species were targeted for their potential heat-tolerance and disease resistance,” said Baker. “The elkhorn corals were particularly striking and offer a glimpse of what Florida’s coral reefs used to look like before most of these corals were lost due to bleaching and disease. We plan to study these corals to understand why they are so resilient and try to breed them with Florida’s surviving elkhorn corals to produce new baby corals that might be able to survive Florida’s warmer future.”
The success of producing these resilient baby corals depends on the spawning of both Honduran and Floridian parent corals, expected between July and September.
“We hope this project highlights the importance of supporting local initiatives in Honduras,” said Borcsok. “We are working hard to protect this invaluable gene bank of resilient corals in Tela Bay, as these disease and heat-tolerant corals could help seed future reefs around the region.”
The live coral colonies were transported to Miami on June 6, 2024, after a 15-hour journey by sea, land, and air, culminating with an Amerijet International Airlines cargo flight. Baker accompanied the corals throughout the journey, ensuring their safe arrival.
“This could not have happened without the support from the all-star team at Amerijet,” Baker remarked. “They helped shepherd the corals and their travel documents through customs in both countries, getting them to Miami as quickly as possible and keeping them happy during the entire flight.”
Upon arrival, the corals were quickly moved to the Rosenstiel School’s coral hatchery facility and the Coral Conservation and Research Center at The Florida Aquarium (TFA) in Apollo Beach, Florida. Here, scientists and students eagerly await the corals' spawning.
“Transporting reproductively sized corals internationally is no small undertaking, and we are thrilled that the Rosenstiel School has trusted us with this precious cargo,” said Keri O’Neil, director and senior scientist at TFA. “These corals are a critical step to help us understand heat tolerance in elkhorn corals, to protect genetic diversity, and to learn how we can breed a stronger generation of elkhorn corals.”
Coral scientists believe innovative approaches like this are vital to enhancing Florida reef restoration efforts amid rising ocean temperatures and frequent coral bleaching events.
“We are hopeful that this innovative approach will pave the way for more resilient coral reefs in Florida and the Caribbean,” Baker concluded. “The collaborative efforts and dedication of our team, research partners, and supporters have brought us to this crucial point. Now we rely on these new parents to spawn this summer and deliver babies that we can raise in large numbers and prepare them for a new life in Florida."
This research received funding from the Ruth D. Gates Coral Restoration Innovation Grant from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Reefense Program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).