Mote Marine Laboratory Coral Reef Restoration at EMIC2R3

At the Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration (EMIC2R3) on Summerland Key, Florida, we raise and study more than 20 species of hard corals, using fragments “rescued”by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary following boat groundings and other disturbances. Our broodstock reserve facility maintains optimal light and water chemistry conditions to produce thousands of coral fragments for reef restoration and conduct studies to determine optimal size, shape and season for planting fragments onto depleted reefs. We are investigating how to optimize restoration for the warmer, more acidic oceans expected in our future.