Aila Webster

This summer, I had the opportunity to volunteer again with Reef Renewal USA. Under the watchful eyes of their marine biologist team, I learned to frag corals, clean trees, and collect samples. The future of the coral in Florida is an uncertain one, but with the help of organizations like iCare and Reef Renewal, there may be a chance of coming back from the brink for the corals.

I arrived at the marine lab in the early morning, knowing nothing about what to expect. I checked into the lab and quickly spotted the bright yellow rash guards of the Reef Renewal interns and employees. I was introduced to the whole team with open arms and smiles, and then the real work began. 

We unsheathed giant tanks to reveal numerous corals, some of which were partly dead and covered in algae. These are “rescued corals” that came from a compromised area and are now being fragged for outplanting. The texture of coral is almost like a rock that constantly squirts slime at you; the bigger the polyp, the softer and slimier the coral becomes. As soon as I picked up the biggest coral in the tank, my hands were covered in a layer of coral gunk. Little did I know, I was also unprepared for the cutting of the corals. We used a small saw, a pick, and a hammer to break apart the corals into small pieces to fit onto plaster plugs. As soon as I turned on the saw, my eyes were filled with coral gunk. After a few hours of cutting corals and covering my hands in coral juice, I finally got the hang of fragging corals. Each of the coral frags goes to different nurseries around Florida. It has always been my longtime dream to dive in a coral nursery, and my dreams were soon to come true. 

I still can’t believe I had the fantastic opportunity to dive in the Reef Renewal coral nursery, accompanied by marine biologists and dive masters. The nursery felt like something out of a dream, with towering columns of coral and large conch shells. The sun went away, and the nursery felt like an eerie coral forest. I grabbed my scrubbing brush out of my pocket and began brushing up and down the tree, gently removing large algae and fire coral that had formed on the ropes and PVC that made up the coral trees. The marine biologists warned me to wear a balaclava along with all my gear, to avoid the itchy fire corals raining down on me. The cloud of particles attracted a delightful school of fish around me. Small wrasse swam through my arms and legs as I cleaned the coral trees. Bigger fish came over as well, though I swatted them away to avoid being bitten. We did two hour-long dives in the nursery, the first cutting off frags of stag corals, and then cleaning the trees. 

I learned a lot from my experience at Reef Renewal, such as how to frag corals and the importance of coral conservation. I also saw how corals harbor other life, like Christmas tree worms and small shrimp, inside them. Diving in the nursery revealed how the coral growing efforts are working wonderfully, and it was amazing to see the nursery create a unique ecosystem for fish and shellfish.  

I also wonder how new technology could be implemented into coral growing, similarly to how farming evolved into vertical hydroponics. I believe that a significant amount of scientific research and technology could be beneficial for increasing coral nurseries and conserving even more coral. I am hopeful for the future of reef conservation.