In a delicate operation at sea, healthy staghorn coral were transplanted o a threatened reef off the Broward County coast by researchers at Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Center and its internal National Coral Reef Institute.

The transplantation site —- in 15 feet of water on the inner reef near the Broward County coast — once was home to a flourishing population of staghorn coral, but was largely lost to disease several years ago. Restoring genetically diverse colonies of staghorn coral to the site is expected to enhance the reef community and provide new habitat for reef creatures and juvenile fish.

Reefs are worth US $6 billion
“This is the northernmost location on the planet for transplanted staghorn corals,” said Abby Renegar, a researcher and doctoral student at Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Center. “Staghorn corals previously have been transplanted in the Florida Keys, Southeast Florida, and other tropical locations around the world.”

Florida accounts for 84 percent of all the coral reefs in the U.S. Those reef ecosystems bring in enough visitors a year to generate $6 billion into the economy and sustain 71,000 jobs.

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