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The pink specks were sperm and eggs released by coral. The
scientists collected as many samples as possible for breeding,
as they fight to save Thailand's expansive reefs from
degradation driven by warming oceans and human activity like
tourism.
Their research is painstaking because the coral only spawn once
a year, and it can take up to five years to raise the juveniles
in a lab before they are ready to be transferred back onto the
seabed.
"We have hope that the degraded coral reefs can recover and
return to their former beauty," said one scientist, Nantika
Kitsom.
She added the loss of Thailand's reefs doesn't just pose a
significant threat to the ocean ecosystem, but also to the
country's economy, as it impacts tourism and fisheries that
depend on healthy coral habitats for fish populations.
The coral breeding and restoration project was started by
Thailand's Department of Marine and Coastal Resources in 2016 in
the southern island of Man Nai, chosen because it houses over 98
species of coral.
The project came after as much as 90% of Thailand's coral reefs
were affected by a mass bleaching event that started in 2010,
most likely triggered by rising water temperatures. Since the
project was initiated, more than 4,000 coral colonies around Mun
Nai Island have been restored, the department said.
According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the world is on the verge of a fourth mass coral
bleaching event that could see wide swathes of tropical reefs
die.
($1 = 151.0000 yen)
(Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor, Alexandra Hudson)
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