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Ras - Saltwater
Coral Aquaculture (Reef Restoration)
Farming coral fragments for reef restoration and the aquarium trade - crucial for the future of coral reefs in a warming ocean.
Sustainability: ★★★★★ Scale: Medium
Setup: $100,000+
📖 Overview
As natural reefs decline from bleaching, disease, and acidification, aquaculture-grown corals may become their lifeline. Fragmentation (fragging), asexual reproduction of coral fragments, and increasingly sexual reproduction and larval settling now produce coral for reef restoration projects (Great Barrier Reef, Caribbean, Florida) and the aquarium trade. Techniques pioneered by aquarists are now applied to reef conservation - one of the most direct cases of hobbyist knowledge saving wild ecosystems.
🐟 Species Commonly Farmed
Staghorn coral (Caribbean restoration), elkhorn coral, Acropora (Great Barrier Reef restoration), various SPS species for aquarium trade.