A SMALL school of grunts is unfazed by the photographer as they swim over this tiny coral oasis off Florida's coast. But this is no ordinary reef: it has been made by biologists trying to farm corals to transplant onto damaged reefs. Many species are in need – staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis), the kind pictured, has experienced a 98 per cent decline over the past 30 years, leaving it scattered and facing local extinction.
"The images show two approaches to the same problem: getting coral fragments to grow into healthy coral pieces," says Tim Calver, the wildlife photographer who shot these images off the coast of Key Largo, at the very top of the Florida Keys. The coral is clipped from healthy stock then glued to cement blocks or tied to vertical strings, where it is elevated into the current, its nutrient source. It is left to grow for a few months until it's big enough to be transplanted.
This nursery is run by the Coral Restoration Foundation, whose president, Ken Nedimyer, can be seen below inspecting the growth of baby corals. The organisation has replanted thousands of colonies – most of which have survived. "To be in the water and to know it's a success story is just fantastic," says Calver.
This article appeared in print under the headline "School's out on the reef"
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