FLORIDA KEYS (SNN TV) – Divers are busy in the Florida Keys moving coral to deeper, cooler waters to protect them.
They’re taking small coral colonies growing in a shallow coral nursery in 30 feet of water and moving them to cooler water at a depth of 65 feet.
The group overseeing the move, Reef Renewal, says it’s a protective measure.
Warmer-than-usual ocean temperatures have caused coral bleaching in some areas in the keys. Bleaching is a stress response to high temperatures or disease. The warm water conditions are expected to last through September.
“I don’t think this is the norm, but this could be a glimpse of what the future is going to look like, so we need to start preparing for it. This is a good wakeup call,” says Reef Renewal marine scientist Ken Nedimyer.
Nedimyer says some of the offshore reefs are not bleached and are fine. Divers expect to finish moving the coral by the end of this week.
