Patong Coral Reef Restoration kicks-off in Phuket.
Damaged coral was rescued and new embryos put into the sea during the campaign . The project is a cooperative effort between the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources and the private sector. Presiding over the opening ceremony was Patong mayor Chalermluck Kebsab . Participants in the activity, consisting mainly of divers, were asked to rescue damaged coral by taking it to a nursery, and by putting coral embryos into the sea. Other tasks included garbage collection under the sea, and the repair of buoys . The campaign is expected to speed up recovery of the coral reefs in Patong Bay which has been affected by pollution, an increase in number of the coral-eating star fish, and the disaster of the 2004 Tsunami.