Pacific coastal fish live and breed in the most fragile of habitats coral reefs. But many reefs have been trampled on, smashed by boats, and even dynamited in the quest for fish. And damaged reefs support fewer fish. This could be why the fisherman are catching less. In Fiji, biologists are working with fishermen to bring the fish back by replanting the reefs. This is a coral nursery. But with wild corals already struggling, where have these coral seedlings come from? The coral gardeners monitor the reef, looking for corals that need a helping hand. Despite all this real estate, many corals end up clustered together. Crowed out, they will eventually die, so the gardeners uproot them, creating more space for some, and giving the uprooted ones a fresh start. Each coral head is broken down into a dozen or more fingers and each of these is tied onto a concrete disc. As every gardener knows, vigorous growth requires sunlight, plenty of nutrients and the right temperature. So the coral gardeners choose just the spot. Within six months, the corals are branching out. They’re spaced out onto adjacent tables and, a year or two after planting, they’re ready for harvesting. The coral heads are broken down once more. In the space of two years, a single finger of coral has multiplied into 50 or more. Some of these will be replanted on fresh discs, while others will be returned to the reef. It replicated, coral gardening could help restore reefs throughout the Pacific. But its biggest success may be in sowing the seeds of conservation in the local fishermen. Within days, these cutting will have stuck themselves to the reef, while reefs that were replanted a year ago are already starting to bloom. In the few more years, this area should be awash with fish. So there’s hope for coastal fisheries on which local people depend.