Scientists transplant crossbred corals to save Miami reefs

CORAL BREEDING HAS ALSO BEEN DONE IN HAWAII

- Associated Press

KEY BISCAYNE: A team of scientists from the University of Miami, the Florida Aquarium and Tela Coral in Honduras is working together to transplant crossbred coral fragments onto a reef off Miami's coastline that was devastated by coral bleaching two years ago.

They're looking for ways to help reefs survive increased ocean temperatures caused by global warming and climate change.

“It’s the end of a very long process,” Andrew Baker, professor of marine biology and ecology at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School and director of the Coral Reef Futures Lab, said on Tuesday as divers planted the corals off Miami. The plan of introducing corals from the Caribbean evolved over the past few years.