Stony Coral Tissue Loss DiseaseThe Florida Coral Rescue Center has in recent weeks bred hundreds of new coral of a species called rough cactus coral at a 2,000-square-foot facility that houses a total of 18 Florida coral species that are threatened by the disease."There is potential to propagate these corals... on a level, that you could return some of these corals to the wild," said Justin Zimmerman, Florida Coral Rescue Center supervisor, in an interview.
Species that fall victim to it have a mortality rate of 66-100 percent, making it deadlier than the better-known coral bleaching phenomenon that is typically caused by higher water temperatures associated with climate change., a marine animal theme park company, and funded in part by the Disney Conservation Fund.
"Large numbers of offspring produced by rescued corals will be essential for restoration of Florida's Coral Reef," said Gil McRae of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)