The RRAP Coral Aquaculture and Deployment R&D Subprogram aims to deliver the means to reliably breed corals in captivity at low cost, at a medium scale using sexual and asexual methods.
The ability to effectively mass-produce corals to high standards will underpin the success of medium- to large-scale reef restoration initiatives and interventions and could help conserve wild populations.
The Coral Aquaculture and Deployment Subprogram aims to optimise methods to rear broodstock in aquaculture facilities and improve the survival rate of corals released into the wild.
This subprogram will also develop the capability for medium-scale aquaculture for a core set of 12 coral species. It will enable the supply of propagated corals to support small- and medium-scale field trials in later parts of the RRAP R&D Program.
The scale of coral production required to meet the objectives of RRAP is still uncertain but likely to be of medium to large scale (10 million –100 million corals per year).
This subprogram aims to deliver a comprehensive understanding of the drivers of growth and survival of young propagated corals in natural populations. It will produce the knowledge to support selective breeding and treatments for adaptation in the Enhanced Corals and Treatments and the Moving Corals Subprograms, as well as key data for ecological and evolutionary modelling by the RRAP Modelling and Decision Support Subprogram.