Stocking the nursery

After lunch, we were met by four marine scientists from the Phuket Marine Biological Center, who are conducting research to determine optimal ways to grow corals for replanting into dead reefs.  We have the unique opportunity to be a part of this important research, and have been participating for the past 11 years.  We take freshly-cut coral fragments and place them into tubes, then put the tubes into racks, and place the racks onto an underwater coral nursery.   

We divide up the students in to four groups, each with a basin containing coral fragments.  The put the fragments into tubes...

...and then inserted the tubes into they plastic mesh rack.  Here are Clarke and Morgan putting their coral fragments into the rack.

Each rack holds 60 fragments.

When the racks were completed, we temporarily hung them over the sides of the boat so they would stay hydrated.

When we had all the racks completed, we swam them out to the underwater nursery.  Here comes Lyndi with a rack.

The racks were placed on each of two platforms, so 28 racks in all were put into the nursery.  The coral fragments will stay here for a year and next year's class will plant them into a dead reef.

Mackenzie

Nat

Lyndi is handing out some zip-ties, which is what we use to fasten the racks to the platform.

Lyndi and Dixie.

The diving we did previous to today gave the students valuable experience in developing their buoyancy skills.  You can see how important it is to be able to control your buoyancy with this reef conservation work.

Lyndi is cutting the ends of the zip-ties.

Here are some fragments that last year's class put int the nursery.  Our students will plant these into a dead reef.  And so the cycle continues...

If any previous students are watching the blog, these are fragments you planted 3 years ago onto dead pieces of branching coral.  They are doing great!

More of previous students' work.