Growing New Reefs
Staghorn and Elkhorn coral, which are endangered species, are being grown in underwater nurseries a quarter mile off the coast of Fort Lauderdale in 25 feet of water. What started as an experiment 6 years ago has turned into a full blown restoration project to enhance and increase our offshore reefs. Not only do new reefs help protect our coastal resources, they also bring in big dollars from tourists and locals in Florida's fishing, diving and boating industries.
Coral is normally impossible to grow artificially in a lab but they are thriving in this underwater nursery where live pieces of coral are attached to nursery structures. Cuttings from these corals taken from the healthy branches and transplanted onto the seabed to create new reefs. What they do is harvest 2 inch cuttings, drive a long nail into the limestone seafloor then attach the cuttings to the nails with zip ties. It takes about 2 weeks for the cuttings anchor themselves then begin growing again.
