Scientists around the world have been working for years to address the decline of coral reef populationsSouth Florida researchers trying to prevent predatory fish from devouring laboratory-grown coral are grasping at biodegradable straws in an effort to restore what some call the rainforest of the sea.
Marine researcher Kyle Pisano said one problem is that predators like parrot fish attempt to bite and destroy the newly transplanted coral in areas like South Florida, leaving them with less than a 40% survival rate. With projects calling for thousands of coral to be planted over the next year and tens of thousands of coral to be planted over the next decade, the losses add up when coral pieces can cost more than $100 each.Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
"Parrot fish on the reef really, really enjoy biting a newly transplanted coral," Pisano said. “They treat it kind of like popcorn." Dotson, a retired aerospace engineer, met Pisano through his professor at Nova Southeastern, and the two formed Reef Fortify Inc. to further develop and market the patent-pending Coral Fort. The first batch of cages were priced at $12 each, but Pisano and Dotson believe that could change as production scales up.
Coral Reef Laboratory-Grown Coral Biodegradable Straws Underwater Ecosystem Marine Species
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