A coral restoration group based in the Florida Keys has begun relocating local coral to cooler waters amid a marine heat wave.
Reef Renewal provides funding and restoration efforts to help conserve healthy coral reefs.
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"So by relocating these corals to deeper, cooler waters we hope that they'll have an increased chance of making it through the coming weeks," said Dr. Katey Lesneski, the sanctuary's Mission: Iconic Reefs research and monitoring coordinator.
The relocation is a preventive measure to help protect the corals from hot water temperatures, which can cause coral bleaching.
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Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documented extensive coral bleaching on reefs in the Florida Keys throughout July.
Bleaching is a stress response that can be caused by disease, pollution, or high water temperatures.
"Coral reefs are incredibly important, not only because of ecological benefits and services they provide, but that is well intertwined with all the economic benefits," Lesneski said.
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The National Marine Fisheries Service estimates the value that coral reefs provide American fisheries is worth over $100 million.
"I don't think this is the norm, but this could be a glimpse of what the future is gonna look like so we need to start preparing for it," said Ken Nedimyer, a diver with Reef Renewal. "This is a good wake-up call."
Despite the record-high temperatures and reports of corals experiencing bleaching, Nedimyer says not all corals in the Florida Keys are dead.
“You hear a lot of stories that the reefs are 100 percent dead or that they’re all bleached and dying, and that’s not the case,” Nedimyer said. “We’ve been diving a lot in the Upper Keys and some of the offshore reefs are fine.
“Not all corals are bleached and not all corals are going to die,” he added.
