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MOTE CORAL RESEARCH AND RESTORATION coral fragments in nurseries in the wild using
Coral reef restoration is a priority of Mote’s world- genetic strains that we believe most likely to survive
class research focused on the conservation and changing ocean conditions.
sustainable use of our ocean’s natural resources. As Our coral nurseries are restoring the reef ecosystem and
the southernmost marine laboratory in the continental helping to rebuild a healthy and plentiful population of
U.S., Mote’s Tropical Research Laboratory, located in wild corals that will be able to reproduce on their own.
Summerland Key, is uniquely positioned to support RESULTS
the combined efforts of Florida and our nation for the Over the last five years, our research and restoration
study and restoration of coral reef ecosystems.
programs have yielded amazing results:
FLORIDA’S NATURAL TREASURE
• The rate of survival for corals we’ve restored to
Florida’s coral reef is the third largest on the planet reefs exceeds 95%;
and the foundation of one of the world’s most
important marine ecosystems. • These restored corals have now begun to
reproduce on their own.
The reef system stretches about 350 miles from the
east coast of Florida in Martin County through the Another exciting breakthrough has been the
development of a new coral “re-skinning” process
Florida Keys and out to the Dry Tortugas. More than
65% of Florida’s coral reef tract lies within the Florida that allows us to restore large areas of reef-building
Keys National Marine Sanctuary that surrounds the corals in just one to two years — instead of the
Florida Keys chain of islands hundreds or thousands of years it might take
nature to build a reef on its own. The cutting-edge
Sadly, the last 40 years have not been kind to our technology of re-skinning allows small fragments
coral reefs and we’ve witnessed losses of more than of brain, boulder and star coral to rapidly fuse back
90% of our indigenous coral coverage with some together to form new coral head over the
species losing more than 97% of their populations. dead skeleton.
RESTORATION This gives us hope that full-scale restoration is
Not content to watch corals decline, Mote scientists possible in our lifetime. Yet now, more than ever
developed cutting-edge processes to bring them before, we find ourselves in need of new facilities
back. Today, we are growing thousands of staghorn to continue our work.

More than 95% survival after one year

INITIAL – MAY 2013 JUNE 2013 OCTOBER 2013 DECEMBER 2013 APRIL 2014

To learn how you can become a part of Oceans of Opportunity: The Campaign for Mote Marine Laboratory
and support the organization’s work in the Florida Keys, please contact Campaign Director Jennifer Vigne
at 941-388-4441, ext. 393, or jvigne@mote.org