"Let's Plant Corals."

Typically you see clotheslines with shirts and dresses drying in the sun, but these found near Key Largo in 30 foot deep water have frags of Staghorn and Elkhorn coral growing on them as part of a full-scale restoration project underway that was recently given 3.4 million dollars in stimulus money from the federal government to expand its operations. Led by a former fish collector Ken Nedimyer and a team of scientists and volunteers, what once started with some Staghorn coral found at a live rock farm has led to over 6,000 corals in all attached to rows of concrete blocks at their Nursery. Go Ken!


Photo Credit: Carey Wagner, Sun Sentinel

About 30 feet below the ocean's surface above a colorful reef off Key Largo, Ken Nedimyer holds up a small slate on which he has written, "Let's plant corals."

With that, the volunteer divers who surround him scatter and busily begin using epoxy putty to give tiny bits of Staghorn coral a toehold in the vast, blue-green sea.

In the ocean waters off Key Largo, Fort Lauderdale and a few other spots, Nedimyer, a one-time tropical fish collector from Tavernier, along with scientists and the volunteers are raising thickets of rare coral to repopulate the depleted reefs of the southeastern United States.

"These are my little children," Nedimyer, 54, said later that day, indicating the threatened coral he cultivates on rows of concrete blocks, growing like delicate seedlings in an underwater offshore nursery.


More:
Staghorn elkhorn coral: Offshore nurseries cultivate rare corals to rescue depleted reefs - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

 

That is very awsome! Always glad to see someone doing whatever they can to help preserve the reefs!

 

That's amazing. I wish i could be part of it.

 

That is fantastic! Save our reefs Ken!

 

There are some projects coming up this month that may need volunteers:
CRF Announces Summer Dates for Volunteer Programs!

Ken is the president of the Coral Restoration Foundation!

Coral Restoration Foundation


Old-timers might recognize Martin Moe on that site:
Disappearing Diadema

And both these guys will be at MACNA!

matt

 

Sweet project

 

Has anyone does this in their tanks or in frag tanks? would seem like it would create 3 for more different levels.

 

i just subscribed to there newsletter seem like a realy cool organisation

 

Good idea. I think I will do that too.

 

I have hung sps on pieces of fishing line before, same concept. It creates perfectly symetrical frags. It works best on birdsnest I find ... which doesn't seem to like to hold onto frag plugs anyway.

You do get some interesting patterns thats for sure.