A single ReefSeed unit spawned 3 million larvae during a single spawning season, which they turned into 10,000 juvenile corals.
"In the Maldives, a mobile coral spawning system has been trialed with scintillating success, as 10,000 juvenile corals were grown by local operators.
It represents not only a major hope that island nations can abate the loss of coral reefs, but also that the spawning system’s $1.5 million grant investment was well-spent, and that an expansion in production of the technology could well be warranted.
Co-developed by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and Maldives Marine Research Institute (MMRI), ReefSeed is a shipping container-sized, portable, seaside spawning laboratory for coral.
Designed to allow local marine scientists anywhere in the world to spawn and grow coral for reef restoration in weeks rather than months, and to operate without external power sources or the need for divers, ReefSeed received $1.5 million from the G20 Coral research and Development Accelerator Program.
It passed its recent acid test with flying colors, as the MMRI were able to use a single containerized ReefSeed unit to spawn 3 million larvae during a single spawning season, which they turned into 10,000 juvenile corals.
These corals were then deployed via 720 seeding devices across 9 different reefs. It was done without any of the AIMS experts present, proving its utility doesn’t require expertise in the system.
The spawning took place on Maniyafushi island in the South Malé Atoll of the Maldives, and AIMS coral reproduction scientist and ReefSeed co-lead, Dr. Muhammad Azmi Abdul Wahab, said the plan was to offer ReefSeed to as many other island communities as possible.
“We have learned much from working with colleagues at MMRI, which will help us make improvements in the training and refinements in the way the system itself can work,” Dr. Wahab told Oceanographic.
MORE REEF SPAWNING RESEARCH:
New Technology Lights Up Coral Beds to Speed Reef Restoration By Attracting Food
First-Ever Coral Crossbreeding Hopes to Mimic the Resilience of an ‘Invincible’ Reef in Honduras
Breeding Corals for the Great Barrier Reef Achieves First Out-of-Season Spawning Event Ever
First Coral IVF Babies on Great Barrier Reef Have Produced Next Generation
“Coral reefs in the Maldives sustain communities and livelihoods but, like coral reefs globally, they have been impacted by bleaching driven by climate change. Innovations like ReefSeed can play a role in supporting restoration efforts providing hope for these communities.”
MMRI scientists were invited to the Great Barrier Reef to witness, alongside their AIMS colleagues, the autumn spawning season on the world’s largest reef, something which GNN has reported before has to be seen to be believed—like the shaking of a giant snowglobe.
It was there they learned the fundamentals of coral spawning that they would take back to Maniyafushi island and their ReefSeed station."
They've been threatened with legal action but they say they will keep trespassing and breaking rules to bring their local river back to life.
A team of local volunteers has been picking rubbish, clearing the river banks and restoring London's River Roding, saying they've got no other choice since no one else is doing it.
We spent the day with the activists, and a warning there's some moderately offensive language in his report.
New Solarpunk Aesthetic Week collaborative playlist just dropped!!
Feel free to add songs that feel Tidalpunk to you! Whether its video game music, or lofi that feels like being on the beach, or jams that feel like you're going on an adventure across the seas!!
If the collaboration link doesn't work for you, send in an ask and I'll add it for you! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Aix2qvan5iMSPmDmVyCny?si=d59c87d9ea8b47e8&pt=74b2c458f9b6f3b4195cf93f67b9bd85
(We are working on figuring out how to make a collaborative playlist on Tidal as well! Stay tuned!)
