The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday that workers have started the three-year outplanting project at Eastern Dry Rocks Sanctuary Preservation Area near Key West. The announcement came just two days before Earth Day, an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
“Outplanting at this unprecedented scale is one of many immediate actions needed to address the rapid decline in our treasured coral reefs,” acting NOAA Administrator Ben Friedman said in a statement.
Eastern Dry Rocks contains a concentration of bank reef habitats that are ecologically and economically important to the Florida Keys, officials said. Distinct genetic strains of elkhorn and staghorn corals are being transplanted across more than 9 acres (3.6 hectares). The corals were grown in their respective nurseries over six to eight months.
Federal officials and environmental groups have begun to plant more than 60,000 fragments of nursery-raised coral at reefs located off the Florida Keys.
Published April 21. 2021 12:05AM
Associated Press
KEY WEST, Fla. Federal officials and environmental groups have begun to plant more than 60,000 fragments of nursery-raised coral at reefs located off the Florida Keys.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday that workers have started the three-year outplanting project at Eastern Dry Rocks Sanctuary Preservation Area near Key West. The announcement came just two days before Earth Day, an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
“Outplanting at this unprecedented scale is one of many immediate actions needed to address the rapid decline in our treasured coral reefs,” acting NOAA Administrator Ben Friedman said in a statement.
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