Mote scientists launch coral restoration project in Key West

On Monday, June 13 scientists at Mote Marine Laboratory launched a coral restoration project at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park in Key West, Florida with a goal of creating a publicly accessible coral restoration site at the State Park while demonstrating the techniques of current restoration strategies happening at Mote.

Throughout the day, scientists and volunteers planted about 200 live coral fragments in the waters off Key West’s Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. Scientists hope to plant about 5,500 corals by the end of July.

“Within a couple of years, the coral fragments that were planted today will grow into each other and grow into a living reef that is beautiful for people to enjoy as a snorkel trail and so it can help prevent erosion of this beautiful beach,” Dr. David Vaughan, Executive Director of Mote’s Florida Keys campus.

To restore coral reefs at the State Park, Mote scientists employed their cutting-edge reef-building technique called “re-skinning,” which enables small fragments of boulder corals such as brain, mountainous star coral and great star coral from Mote’s Summerland Key coral nursery to rapidly fuse back together to form new coral heads over the dead skeletons of depleted reefs.

An especially unique feature of this project is that it uses corals rescued by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration from the same general area where restoration is occurring. The corals have since been propagated by Mote scientists at their land-based coral nursery in Summerland Key for the purpose of outplanting back into the natural environment at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park.

“This is a new, fantastic opportunity for the public to see this coral restoration project happening right here without even having to take a boat,” said Seth Morton, Superintendent of NOAA’s Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. “Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park is such a unique place and this is a unique partnership we have continued through the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center and we encourage everyone to come out and see what is being done right in our own backyard.”

On Monday, scientists and volunteers outplanted fragments of brain, mountainous star and great star corals in 10 to 12 feet of water about 20 feet beyond the breakwater off the State Park’s shore. All work is being conducted under permits from NOAA and Florida State Parks.

“The Florida Park Service is very proud to be part of such an incredible project with Mote and NOAA,” said Anthony Knott, Park Manager, Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. “It is a great opportunity to have our visitors be able to experience something like this. This is a great.

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