Mississippi Aquarium receives grants for coral restoration
The Mississippi Aquarium was awarded $600,000 in grants for coral restoration.
The grants support restoration and education related to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The research will help restore deep sea communities in the Gulf of Mexico’s natural resources injured by the 2010 oil spill.
The aquarium will assist in four interconnected projects in developing coral propagation techniques and outreach.
Currently, researchers are monitoring four species in the mesophotic benthic coral habitats, which is 150 to 1000 feet deep.
“So mesophotic means middle light. So if you look here you can see in the tanks, it’s kind of bluish color. And that’s actually the color is when you’re down there seeing these animals in the wild. So we simulate the environment as much as possible so that we can give them optimal growth,” says Dr. Alexa Delaune, vice president of vet services and research. “We learn as much as we can about them. What their feeding their reproduction. And then restoration is the ultimate goal to get all of these species restored back to their original numbers before they were damaged by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.”
Dr. Delaune says the research will allow them to bring a new exhibit to the aquarium where guests can learn about these species located in the Gulf.