Coral Larval Restoration Training
During the on-country spawning event, three Woppaburra participants including Joseph Geas, Joseph Geas Junior and Jackson Van Issum, were selected by to participate in program to trial a new training package developed by Jordan Ivey (AIMS), to learn about the in-situ methodology of coral larval restoration.
Elements covered included the following:
- Safe operations from a small boat
- Snorkelling operations in a coral reef environment
- Introduction to safe operations on a large research vessel (SciBarge)
- Theory of coral larval biology and reef restoration methods
- Participation in and observation of night-time coral spawning
- Collection of coral spawn
- Spawn processing for cryopreservation
- Coral larval behaviour
- Use of a microscope to monitor larval health and densities
- Mobilisation and demobilisation of larval ponds
Over several days the trainees constructed two floating larval-rearing pools that were then anchored in Considine Bay, assisted with daily coral spawn slick observations and searched for coral spawn slicks each evening. They also collected coral spawn from Mazie Bay and stocked the larval ponds. After 5 days, the ponds were towed to the other side of Considine Bay and larvae were released onto an area of degraded reef. The team was also escorted by an eagle and a dugong mother and her calf swam alongside as the team towed the larval pool to the deployment location, which was enjoyed by all.
This training event was an opportunity seized by Woppaburra and AIMS to inform and further
improve materials to create a future accredited training package. The learnings from this training
allowed participants to identify additional requirements for future training to further engage in site stewardship.
The plan is to now seek funding to formalise this training into the VET sector and make it an accredit training unit/program that will allow future TOs from various groups to learn this methodology and empower them to lead the way in projects that look after Country.
