VIDEO: Polo Reef's Exclusive Florida Coral Rescue Center Program

Left to right: Andrew Sandler & Rachid Stoury (Polo Reef) observe sexually propagated Rough Cactus Coral (Mycetophyllia ferox) in a protective pen at the Florida Coral Rescue Center (FCRC), which Justin Zimmerman (Sea World) says keeps the tiny baby corals safe from urchins that may inadvertently predate on them. — Left to right: Andrew Sandler & Rachid Stoury (Polo Reef) observe sexually propagated Rough Cactus Coral (*Mycetophyllia ferox*) in a protective pen at the Florida Coral Rescue Center (FCRC), which Justin Zimmerman (Sea World) says keeps the tiny baby corals safe from urchins that may inadvertently predate on them.

As Season Two of Polo Reef’s YouTube series continues, one of the most exciting installments has been released this week.

Justin Zimmerman, explaining how the FCRC will use sexual-propagation to replant coral reefs and jumpstart coral spawning in the wild to reseed the reefs.

Join Andrew Sandler and Rachid Stoury as they travel to Florida and join Justin Zimmerman, SeaWorld supervisor for the Florida Coral Rescue Center (FCRC), for an exclusive, VIP tour. This program represents a partnership between Sea World, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC or more commonly FWC), and NOAA Fisheries. This program arose in response to a disease known as Stony Coral Tissue Loss in the Caribbean, which resulted in up to a 90% coral loss on some reefs. The FCRC systems serve as a gene bank housing many rare, unique, and endangered corals.

The goal is to sexually propagate these corals, ultimately planting out genetically distinct specimens in clusters on reefs to facilitate wild-spawning success, hopefully reseeding wild reefs. As Zimmerman explains, “…right now, the [remaining] corals are so spread out down in the Keys, they can’t reproduce with each other…they’re basically functionally extinct. There’s not enough in a square mile that can fertilize the eggs.”

The VIP tour brings Polo Reef viewers inside Sea World's impressive new "dome full of corals," as Stoury calls it! — The VIP tour brings Polo Reef viewers inside Sea World’s impressive new “dome full of corals,” as Stoury calls it!

The tour culminates with an exclusive first look at the new “dome full of corals” situated within the Sea World Park in Orlando, Florida. SeaWorld’s Coral Rescue facility duplicates the FCRC systems, but puts them on display for park guests to see the work first-hand. You’ll have to watch the video to truly understand the amazing new facility!

Watch The Exclusive Florida Coral Rescue Center VIP Tour with Polo Reef now!