Florida Aquarium unveils $3.4M coral conservation, research center

Leaders of The Florida Aquarium unveiled their new Coral Conservation and Research Center in Apollo Beach Friday, cutting the ribbon on the new home of the aquarium’s Coral Conservation Program. The 4,200-square-foot facility is an expansion of its existing Coral Conservation Complex, more than doubling its physical space and operational capacity.

The Florida Aquarium, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, received funding from the State of Florida for the $3.4 million project, which broke ground in November 2022. Roger Germann,  aquarium president and CEO, also announced Friday that another $2.1 million will be coming from Governor Ron DeSantis’ office to support the project and future coral conservation work along the Florida Reef Tract, which stretches across 360 miles along the southeastern Florida coast.

Biologists, researchers and state stakeholders, including State Rep. Toby Overdorf (third from right) help Florida Aquarium President and CEO Roger Germann (far right) cut the ribbon on the aquarium’s new 4,200 sq.ft. Coral Conservation and Research Center March 22.

“That additional $2.1 million Governor DeSantis and the Department of Environmental Protection are putting into our program will make sure that we can operate this at the level we need to really meet the challenges and needs that our coral reefs are facing,” Germann said.

Germann credited partnerships with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) on research, preservation and breeding strategies that are helping repopulate Florida’s reefs by raising corals that are at risk of extinction in the wild.

The Florida Reef Tract is the world’s third-largest barrier reef. According to the Florida Aquarium’s website, factors such as Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), increasingly warmer and acidic water conditions and the dying off of key symbiotic species are leading to the decline of this reef. Germann referred to the reef as the “rainforest of the sea” in terms of its importance to overall environmental health.

Map: Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

“This past summer, our team went down to the Keys in a rapid response because water temperatures were at an all-time high, and all of the work we’ve done and others have done was in jeopardy,” Germann said. “As a matter of fact, some of those coral restoration efforts took a step backward, which is unfortunate.”

“That demonstrates why now, today, there’s never been a better time to create a state-of-the-art Coral Conservation and Research Center that expands the expertise, the knowledge and the impact that The Florida Aquarium can have and truly save the Florida Reef Tract,” Germann continued. “It is so important to continue our dedication, our tireless efforts to save Florida’s coral reef, as well export that knowledge around the world to save coral reefs from extinction.”

Research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows more than half a billion people around the globe depend on reefs for food, income and protection; coral reefs protect coastlines from storms and erosion, create jobs for local communities and provide a source of food and new medicines.

It is estimated that Florida’s coral reefs have an $8 billion value and support more than 70,000 jobs. State Rep. Toby Overdorf said the existential risk facing coral reefs compelled him to support The Florida Aquarium’s efforts to secure state funding for the expansion of its coral conservation efforts.

“As a representative, I don’t often get to geek out on biology, but today is a rare exception to that,” said Overdorf at the March 22 ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Coral has a symbiotic relationship, and, with that, they depend on so many things around them. Who knew that they would be depending on a little institution in Tampa Bay for their very existence?”

The Florida Aquarium’s Coral Conservation and Research Center holds numerous “season tables,” which use specialized Radion lights to mimic the daylight cycles, temperature changes and moon phases that naturally occur in the wild and provide cues for corals to spawn. Corals only spawn once a year and rely on these cues for reproduction, so biologists rely on this controlled environment to ensure they’re giving the corals their best chance of survival.

In addition to raising corals and releasing them back into the wild, experts at The Florida Aquarium Coral Conservation and Research Center are working to stay ahead of current and potential future “stressors” that cause environmental decline.

“We have literally failed coral on the human side. There are so many things that we have done to impact that negative way,” Rep. Overdorf said. “I applaud the aquarium for recognizing the opportunities to bring [corals] back to the wild and to be able to reproduce that in a laboratory setting. I don’t think you can actually really grasp how amazing it is. The work that is happening here will impact the state of Florida for literally the next hundreds of years.”

Biologists said the risk of contaminating the corals’ aquatic environments or damaging research equipment is the reason the Coral Conservation and Research Center is not open to the general public for tours. However, visitors to The Florida Aquarium’s Apollo Beach campus can see inside the center via video feed. Future expansion plans include building a walkway outside the facility to allow visitors to peer inside the large windows and see the work being done in real time.

The newly expanded facility houses nearly double the previous number of quarantine tanks, which help biologists treat medical cases by isolating unhealthy corals from the general population. After 45 days of treatment and isolation, the corals can return to the general population tanks and eventually be released back into the wild.

The Florida Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center, located on the same property as the Coral Conservation and Research Center and just around the corner from TECO’s Manatee Viewing Center, is open to the public and free to visit Nov. 1 through April 1.