About This Project
Increased coral heterotrophy is linked to greater resilience. Light arrays have been shown to increase zooplankton concentrations and feeding rates 10 to 50-fold.
Capable of real-time monitoring and allowing dynamic control of a light array, a Bristlemouth-enabled coral larvae nursery system could modulate light patterns to optimize zooplankton attraction and enhance nursery site selection. These factors could increase the success of genetically diverse corals when outplanted.
Ask the Scientists
Join The DiscussionWhat is the context of this research?
Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire (RRFB) started coral breeding in 2019. The process encompasses a variety of techniques, each tailored to increase the success of a specific stage of development. From fertilization of sperm and egg to settlement of tiny larva on the reef, RRFB assists each step of the process and outplants thousands of genetically unique corals annually.
After spending 1–2 weeks swimming freely in the water column coral larvae begin searching for a suitable place on the reef to settle permanently. To support this critical stage, we provide them with specially designed ceramic substrate that mimics the natural algal composition of the reef, encouraging successful attachment.
The prototype nursery will hold the larvae on these conditioned ceramic substrates for an extended period. During this time, the larvae will have the opportunity to feed on zooplankton attracted by the light array promoting healthy growth before they are outplanted onto the reef.
What is the significance of this project?
Although Bonaire’s coral reefs still feature significant populations of coral species, the healthy colonies may be too far apart to reproduce successfully through sexual reproduction, limiting the formation of new genetic strains. For this reason, assisting the sexual reproduction of ecologically key coral species is critical to aid the recovery of degraded populations. Maintaining and enhancing the genetic diversity of coral populations is crucial; the more genetically diverse a coral population is, the better the chances are that some corals are capable of coping with changing environmental conditions.
What are the goals of the project?
The primary goal of this project is to expand and improve the effectiveness of coral breeding programs by leveraging emerging technologies for marine condition monitoring and by boosting zooplankton availability to enhance coral feeding during the crucial larval stage.
Marine data from the Spotter will assist with scaling up the RRFB Coral Breeding program, fine-tuning each step of the process. Future iterations will additionally include water quality sensors to evaluate and select ideal nursery placement sites.
The light array will strategically operate one hour per night. Light has shown to increase naturally occurring concentrations of zooplankton, providing corals with greater feeding opportunities. Previous studies have found that integrating feeding during the early live stages of the coral settlers increases their survival and growth.
Budget
Deployment, project management, and administrative costs are covered by the participating nonprofit organizations and are therefore not included in this budget. Reef Renewal Bonaire has secured funding for the foundational design of the prototype coral larvae nursery and a control nursery. As a result, this budget is dedicated entirely to enhancing the open-source nursery design with the Bristlemouth enabled light array and sensors on the spotter platform.
These enhancements include:
Integrating real-time, open-access temperature data via aqualink.org
Implementing lighting systems to improve coral larvae survival and support in situ research focused on reef-building species.
This focused use of funds ensures direct impact on the effectiveness and scalability of the open-source coral restoration technology.
Endorsed by
Project Timeline
This project is strategically aligned with the 2025 coral spawning season in Bonaire, with refinements and enhanced design features scheduled for implementation during the 2026 spawning season.
Apr 29, 2025
Coral spawning season in Bonaire begins, and coral gametes are collected.
Apr 29, 2025
Project Launched
Jun 20, 2025
Build Complete: Spotter + Smart Mooring with temperature sensors and programed lights at the nodes
Jul 07, 2025
Deployment in Bonaire of the new Bristlemouth enabled Spotter + Smart Mooring + Coral Larvae Nursery
Oct 31, 2025
Coral spawning season and gamete collection in Bonaire ends
Meet the Team
Team Bio
This project is a collaboration between Reef Renewal Bonaire and WHALEFALL
Vincent Smith
Vincent Smith is the Director of Impact at the nonprofit WHALEFALL and a Managing Partner at Reef Rescue, where he works at the intersection of scientific exploration, education, and sustainable, scalable triple bottom line solutions.
Vincent is a biodiversity and ecosystem adaptation professional. His work spans experiential education, curriculum and project design. He is dedicated to advancing sustainability, ocean exploration, open-source community science, and advocacy efforts that protect the planet’s biodiversity and maintain ecosystem balance.
Sanne Tuijten
Sanne’s journey in marine biology began at 12 when she first learned to dive, sparking a lifelong passion for the ocean. With an M.Sc. in Marine Biology from the University of Southampton, she has spent the past 4+ years at Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire, applying science-driven strategies to refine coral restoration techniques and improve reef resilience. Her work focuses on using data to guide best practices, optimize fragmentation methods, and adapt restoration efforts to an ever-changing environment.
Lab Notes
Nothing posted yet.
Additional Information
The Reef Renewal Bonaire (RRFB) coral breeding program process explained:
Spawning & Collection
After monitoring a coral species over time to learn more about its spawning habits, we narrow down the best time to carefully collect coral reproductive cells, or gametes. Using collection nets placed above the spawning colonies, divers collect gametes in collection tubes and bring them to our on-land lab facility.
Fertilization
Our team mixes gametes of genetically different coral colonies of the same species to assist the cross-fertilization. Recently fertilized eggs start developing into embryos and are carefully monitored as they develop.
Larval Rearing
The developing embryos are kept in the lab or transferred to in-situ enclosures, either in a floating nursery at the surface or enclosed in a net close to the reef floor. In either setting, the larvae can develop in controlled conditions without interference from predators or other natural impediments to development.
Settlement
After swimming around for 1-2 weeks (timeframe depending on the species), coral larva begin to look for a spot on the reef to permanently settle on. We assist the settlement process by providing eligible larva with a ceramic substrate to attach to, conditioned to mimic the algal makeup of the reef. This process takes place in one of our in-situ or ex-situ environments – the lab, floating nursery pool, or underwater enclosure. Once the larva have settled, the substrates are ready to be outplanted
Outplanting
Once the larvae have successfully settled and firmly attached onto the Seeding Units, we outplant them to degraded reef areas. Now they must face the reef life on their own, however we monitor their health over time till the day they might be ready to spawn too…
Project Backers
- 7Backers
- 2%Funded
- $260Total Donations
- $37.14Average Donation
