KarunaNews Story

A thick cloud of coral spawn has blanketed parts of the Great Barrier Reef, signalling a key window for restoration work. Each year corals release trillions of eggs and sperm simultaneously to improve their chances of survival. But research indicates only about one in a million grow to become coral. Many are lost as larvae expend energy, face predators, and struggle to settle on the sea floor. On Lizard Island, about 240km north of Cairns, researchers have seen success in their attempts to increase the resettlement of coral spawn across wider areas by deploying "larval seed boxes". The method involves filling clear perspex boxes with millions of larvae, then releasing them gradually over degraded habitat to increase natural settlement. CSIRO senior research scientist Christopher Doropoulos said last year's work showed an increase in settlement of up to 56 per cent across thousands of square meters of reef.