A Florida team of marine scientists has come up with an innovative solution for protecting young coral from predators. The coral, which is reared in the laboratory, before being moved to the ocean as part of ongoing reef restoration efforts, is preyed on and destroyed by fish, as well as marine worms, barnacles, crabs, snails and sea stars. In Florida, parrotfish bites are a particular challenge.
Predation of corals transplanted from laboratories to the ocean has hindered reef restoration efforts for years. No effective means of protecting corals has been available - until now.
The Florida scientists created what they are calling a “Coral Fort”: a device that uses a limestone disc surrounded by the phade brand of marine biodegradable drinking straws to protect the young laboratory-grown coral. The straws shield the coral and then fully biodegrade, leaving nothing behind.
The team’s research findings show more than 90 percent of corals placed within Coral Forts off the coast of Fort Lauderdale were free from parrotfish bites and are now thriving, up from less than 40 percent survival rate without assistance from Coral Forts.
“Coral reefs represent some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, providing a habitat for a variety of marine life,” said Kyle Pisano, who conducted offshore experiments with the Coral Fort as part of a master’s degree program at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and is now CEO of a new venture called Reef Fortify, Inc., which represents the new technology. “With global coral reef populations in steep decline, scientists all over the world are searching for solutions for restoration. No other device for predator protection like this exists. All of the other devices that have been tried require cleaning by divers when excessive algae accumulates on them.”
For the Coral Fort, the researchers tested both tube and straw options made with the biopolyester PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), which is derived from the fermentation of canola oil, to ensure their safety in a marine environment. They found that the phade straw degraded far more rapidly than the tubes.
The new device makes it possible for coral put into the ocean in reef restoration efforts to grow and thrive. It is a simple, inexpensive and environmentally safe solution that has attracted interest from researchers all over the world who are faced with coral predation challenges, said Dr. Kirk Dotson, inventor of the patent-pending Coral Fort and CFO of Reef Fortify Inc. Among those are teams focused on coral reef health at the University of Miami and the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources. The team in Hawaii has begun testing Coral Forts to protect coral from predators off the coast of Honolulu. The University of Miami was also intrigued by the research study. It recently purchased 50 Coral Forts to underpin its efforts to create a sustainable source of healthy coral colonies for active reef restoration.
“We hope that Coral Forts utilising phade straw technology can be used on a massive scale to rapidly replenish reefs around the world,” said Dr. Dotson.
Phade straws offer the look and feel of traditional plastic straws but are 100% certified biodegradable. After they disintegrate on the ocean floor, only water and carbon dioxide remain.
“Who could have imagined that a drinking straw – something that is often thought of as a pollutant in marine environments – could be a potential solution to the rapid disappearance of our coral reefs,” said Brad Laporte, CEO of WinCup, the manufacturer of phade.
Coral reefs are a significant part of the oceanic ecosystem. They occupy less than one percent of the ocean worldwide but provide food and shelter to nearly 25 percent of sea life. Coral reefs also dramatically reduce storm surges, thus protecting humans and valuable coastal property during hurricanes. Most importantly, they provide resources for income, food, and protection for more than half a billion people around the world each day, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).