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Is there any way to farm coral in more temperate waters? Reef fish are very valuable so it could even be commercially viable.

pvaldes 8y ago
Is a extremely complex ecosystem. Yes, you can grow coral in captivity. Some species are much more difficult to keep alive than other, but can be done. Is done since years in aquariums. The problem is that this not the same as cloning a entire ecosystem with a net of 10.000 species living together. You can't do it in the sea otherwise, because there is not a lot of accurate and still free areas. Coral needs a lot of light. Must be shallow. Pirate and lawful fishing, commercial sea routes, tourism (coral reef attracts big predators like sharks), and a net of vested interests will block it. And you'll need to wait 3000 years to have a coral reef at '3000 years level', of course. Corals are terribly slow and fight with their neighbors all the time. Such project would be extremely expensive.
- somishere 8y ago
  There's already projects doing this. Both on the GBR and in places like Florida in the USA. The coral being grown is mainly staghorn due to its rapid growth cycles with the idea that it can help replenish high value sites only, i.e. not the whole reef. These kind of measures are seen as being part of a spectrum of solutions. Check out the Reef Restoration Project: https://citizensgbr.org/c/coral-nurseries https://citizensgbr.org/c/coral-nurseries
  - pvaldes 8y ago
    A staghorn-only reef is "equivalent" to a monoculture forest. Staghorn is the "Eucalyptus" of corals. Much faster than most species. Will overgrowth and overshadow more delicate species that rely in potent poisons and good niches to survive and grow much slower. Staghorn could make a good skeleton of a reef in, dunno, maybe 50 or 100 years and would attract a wonderful biodiversity if left alone; but is not enough in reef terms. we are talking of the cream of the cream. One of the finest works of this planet. The staghorn ecosystem is just a baby and a lot of species would be sorely missing.

pvaldes 8y ago

Is a extremely complex ecosystem. Yes, you can grow coral in captivity. Some species are much more difficult to keep alive than other, but can be done. Is done since years in aquariums. The problem is that this not the same as cloning a entire ecosystem with a net of 10.000 species living together. You can't do it in the sea otherwise, because there is not a lot of accurate and still free areas. Coral needs a lot of light. Must be shallow. Pirate and lawful fishing, commercial sea routes, tourism (coral reef attracts big predators like sharks), and a net of vested interests will block it. And you'll need to wait 3000 years to have a coral reef at '3000 years level', of course. Corals are terribly slow and fight with their neighbors all the time. Such project would be extremely expensive.

somishere 8y ago
There's already projects doing this. Both on the GBR and in places like Florida in the USA. The coral being grown is mainly staghorn due to its rapid growth cycles with the idea that it can help replenish high value sites only, i.e. not the whole reef. These kind of measures are seen as being part of a spectrum of solutions. Check out the Reef Restoration Project: https://citizensgbr.org/c/coral-nurseries https://citizensgbr.org/c/coral-nurseries
- pvaldes 8y ago
  A staghorn-only reef is "equivalent" to a monoculture forest. Staghorn is the "Eucalyptus" of corals. Much faster than most species. Will overgrowth and overshadow more delicate species that rely in potent poisons and good niches to survive and grow much slower. Staghorn could make a good skeleton of a reef in, dunno, maybe 50 or 100 years and would attract a wonderful biodiversity if left alone; but is not enough in reef terms. we are talking of the cream of the cream. One of the finest works of this planet. The staghorn ecosystem is just a baby and a lot of species would be sorely missing.