Researchers at MSC Cruises' private island, Ocean Cay Marine Reserve, are celebrating the successful beginnings of its first coral nursery.
The Super Coral Program, which started in 2018, aims to rebuild the coral beds surrounding MSC’s private island resort by growing sample specimens on "coral trees" submerged just below the water's surface. These coral trees are grouped together in a nursery, where researchers closely monitor endangered species to understand how they respond to ocean conditions.
The goal of the program is to save existing coral populations and grow resilient coral that can withstand the impacts of climate change, MSC Cruises said in a release.
On 06JUL, NBC’s Today Show aired a segment about the initiative. The nursery was installed in DEC 2022 and, as featured in the segment, several of the trees in the nursery are now filled with coral. In 2023, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and the MSC Foundation plan to expand the coral nurseries to 13 trees, which have the potential to produce over 1,100 coral fragments annually.
The full broadcast segment can be viewed here. More information about MSC Cruises or Ocean Cay can be found on the company's website.
