Coral Propagation Team

The Coral Propagation Team is to develop a strategy for the propagation of corals for the restoration of the Florida Reef Tract (FRT). The Team will serve as a coordinating hub that can assist with funding requests and facilitate communication across all propagation partners. The Coral Propagation Team is still in the developmental stages, and objectives moving forward could include:

• Develop a Coral Propagation Plan (including sexual, asexual, and sexual-to-asexual)
• Conduct a thorough assessment of the status of propagation science and technology
• Conduct an inventory of existing coral propagation expertise and infrastructure in Florida
• Identify entities (both within and outside of Florida) interested in propagation for FRT restoration
• Assess readiness of entities to begin propagation activities
• Identify and prioritize annual goals for species propagation
• Develop an infrastructure expansion plan (i.e., # of facilities, locations, general resource needs)
• Plan and execute movement of rescue corals to breeding facilities
• Plan and execute the movement of corals reared at breeding facilities back to the FRT
• Develop and maintain species-specific propagation genetic management plans (including a genetic
• database) for corals spawned/reared in captivity
• Serve as the coordinating hub that can aid with funding requests and allocations and facilitate communication across all propagation partners to achieve success

Contact
Team leads: Lisa Gregg (lisa.gregg@MyFWC.com) and Jennifer Moore (jennifer.moore@noaa.gov)