coral reefs

A pregnant Caribbean king crab, a direct result of the reproduction efforts at Mote's Florida Coral Reef Restoration Crab Hatchery Research Center.

First fully operational Caribbean king crab hatchery opens, will help in Florida coral reef efforts

WGCU Staff

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium celebrated the official opening of its Florida Coral Reef Restoration Crab Hatchery Research Center Monday as the first fully operational Caribbean king crab hatchery that will aid in efforts to save Florida’s coral reefs.

Environment

Venice community groups hoping to install dozens of floating reefs under docks in Roberts Bay

Tom Bayles

Several community groups in Venice are asking the state for permission to install dozens of floating reefs underneath people’s docks to provide fish habitat and help clean coastal seawater.

A school of silver tomate grunts, as seen one recent afternoon.

An Unlikely Coral Reef Becomes A Source Of Quarantine Entertainment

Daniel Rivero

County and municipal marinas are closed, popular sandbars are empty for the first time in recorded history, and there are no cruise ships packed with...

Key Dives in Islamorada is one of the shops that took part in the Goal: Clean Seas Florida Keys program.

Report Shows Results From Year Of Taking Trash Off Keys Reef

Nancy Klingener

Marine debris — or trash in the water — is a problem everywhere including the Florida Keys. And it got a lot worse when Hurricane Irma crashed across...

Port Everglades officials this week marked a milestone in plans to expand the port to allow for bigger cargo ships after Congress approved $29 million to move a U.S. Coast Guard station.

Port Everglades Kicks Off Expansion. Critics Worry Coral Could Be Damaged

Jenny Staletovich

Port Everglades and local elected officials marked the first step in a $437 million expansion to make way for expected massive new cargo ships with a...

Stony coral disease has afflicted nearly half Florida's reef-building corals and has now spread beyond the 300-mile long reef tract to the eastern Caribbean and south to Mexico and Belize.

Ballast Water Could Be Driving Spread Of Devastating Coral Disease

Jenny Staletovich

Scientists investigating a devastating new coral disease infecting reefs from Florida to and throughout the Caribbean may be zeroing in on a culprit...

A diver cleans algae from staghorn coral at a Coral Reef Restoration Foundation nursery.

NOAA Targets 7 'Iconic' Keys Reefs For $100 Million Restoration

Nancy Klingener

For decades, most of the news about coral reefs has been pretty gloomy. Now the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is launching a new mission to...

A greater star coral in the Upper Keys shows partial bleaching

Reefs In Hot Water: Keys On High Alert For Coral Bleaching

Nancy Klingener

All of the Florida Keys reef is under thermal stress — meaning the water is warm enough that corals may start bleaching.

Pillar coral, found in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, is protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Lawsuit: Federal Government Failed To Protect Endangered Coral

Jessica Meszaros

The Center for Biological Diversity is suing the National Marine Fisheries Service , saying the agency did not give 12 species of U.S. coral critical...

It's A Baby! (Or At Least A Million) As FL Aquarium Announces First Atlantic Coral Spawning

Steve Newborn

Scientists at the Florida Aquarium on Wednesday announced they have for the first time induced Atlantic coral to spawn in a laboratory. This gives hope...