New technologies for culturing and settling scleractinian coral larvae in the field are
required to elucidate the role of recruitment in population dynamics and to provide options for reef
rehabilitation. Natural multi-species aggregations of coral embryos, which frequently form slicks on
the sea surface after large-scale annual spawnings, were identified as a potential resource for mass
coral culture. Slicks containing billions of embryos were found at sea and several million embryos
were sub-sampled and successfully cultured in simple floating ponds, moored over the reef. Coral
larvae were maintained in the floating ponds until competent to settle, and then seeded onto the reef
environment via hoses from the ponds to mesh enclosures temporarily fixed to the reef substratum.
Reefal areas exposed to the cultured larvae exhibited a dramatic enhancement of coral larval recruitment compared to natural rates. The results demonstrate the ability to seed defined areas of reef with
controlled densities of recruits. We conclude that natural spawning slicks, which have been noted on
numerous reefs throughout the world, provide opportunities for very large-scale culture of corals,
which may have application in reef rehabilitation and management strategies where natural recruitment is limited.
New technologies for culturing and settling scleractinian coral larvae in the field arerequired to elucidate the role of recruitment in population dynamics and to provide options for reefrehabilitation. Natural multi-species aggregations of coral embryos, which frequently form slicks onthe sea surface after large-scale annual spawnings, were identified as a potential resource for masscoral culture. Slicks containing billions of embryos were found at sea and several million embryoswere sub-sampled and successfully cultured in simple floating ponds, moored over the reef. Corallarvae were maintained in the floating ponds until competent to settle, and then seeded onto the reefenvironment via hoses from the ponds to mesh enclosures temporarily fixed to the reef substratum.Reefal areas exposed to the cultured larvae exhibited a dramatic enhancement of coral larval recruitment compared to natural rates. The results demonstrate the ability to seed defined areas of reef withcontrolled densities of recruits. We conclude that natural spawning slicks, which have been noted onnumerous reefs throughout the world, provide opportunities for very large-scale culture of corals,which may have application in reef rehabilitation and management strategies where natural recruitment is limited.
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