Protect Our Reefs

Grab a b**r at Florida Keys Brewing Company, gather your smartest friends, and put your coral knowledge to the test at a fun-filled night of trivia! 🪸🍻

📅 Monday, October 19
⏰ 7:30-9:30 PM
🎟️ FREE to play! Fun Prizes!

Any donations benefit Mote Marine Laboratory's coral reef research and restoration efforts.

We’re checking in on our 2026 Mote + SCUBAPRO community coral reef restoration dive program and all that our participants have accomplished together for Florida’s Coral Reef!

So far this year, 98 participants have joined us in the water across 9 restoration programs, including 64 Monroe County residents who received fully funded restoration experiences. That’s 3x more local participants than in previous years!

A huge thank you to the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys for supporting this program and making these fully funded experiences possible for locals! 🙏

Together, participants contributed:
🪸 1,000+ corals outplanted onto the Florida’s Coral Reef
🪸 370 new coral fragments produced
🪸 600+ community service hours dedicated to coral restoration

We’re incredibly proud of what this community accomplished together this year and excited to keep creating opportunities for people to get directly involved in restoring coral reefs!

There’s still one more opportunity to join us this year! Our final full-dive restoration program will take place November 7 in Key Largo. Visit mote.org/divekeys or the link in our bio to register! 🔗

🎉Congratulations to Willow Kessel, the Florida Keys Volunteer of the Week, and to Keys Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium! 🙌

The annual Unsung Heroes Celebration is sponsored by Lower Keys Medical Center with marketing support provided by The Keys Weekly Newspapers.

"Willow is a dedicated young environmental and marine science professional who has supported Mote Marine Laboratory’s mission of coral reef restoration and research since early 2025. From coral husbandry and restoration material construction to invertebrate collection and coral microfragmentation, her skills have grown quickly, making her an integral part of our volunteer team. Working closely with Staff Biologist Kelly Logan, Willow now helps train artificial intelligence to identify coral and fish species from routine monitoring images."

Thank you for your volunteer service, Willow!
Learn more and at cffk.org

Crab release update! 🦀 Since April, Mote’s Coral Reef Restoration Research Program has released over 500 Caribbean king crabs across 3 reefs in the Lower Florida Keys as part of our holistic, science-based approach to coral reef restoration.

Algal overgrowth is a major driver of coral decline, competing with corals for the space and resources they need to survive, grow and settle. Caribbean king crabs are powerful grazers, capable of consuming more algae than any species of parrotfish in the Caribbean and rivaling the grazing rates of sea urchins.

By researching how we can restore this important herbivore to the reef, scientists are exploring an additional technique to help rebalance the ecosystem and create better conditions for corals to thrive.

Every crab released is part of a larger holistic effort to understand and implement what it takes to restore not just corals, but the entire reef ecosystem. 🪸🐠

All work is conducted under permits from FWC and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and funded by NOAA and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

📸: Various Mote Staff

On September 12, State Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez and State Representative Jim Mooney presented a $500,000 legislative appropriation to support Mote’s coral reef research, restoration, and genetic management efforts. 🪸

This investment will help Mote continue developing science-based solutions to restore and protect Florida’s Coral Reef, an iconic and vital natural resource for our state.

Thank you to Senator Rodriguez and Representative Mooney for supporting the science and innovation needed to protect Florida’s coral reefs for future generations.

➡️ Swipe to see what happens after corals spawn!

From fertilization to settlement, Mote scientists carefully nurture the next generation of resilient corals as they grow and prepare for their eventual return to Florida’s Coral Reef. 🪸🌊

Read more about last months collaborative spawning event at mote.org/news.

Look closely—can you spot the healthy and stressed tissue on this coral? 🔎🪸

The pale or white areas are bleached tissue, while the areas that still have their natural color are home to microscopic algae called zooxanthellae. These algae live in partnership with corals and provide them with most of their energy.

When corals experience stress, especially prolonged heat stress, they can expel these algae, causing the coral tissue to appear pale or white. Bleached corals are still alive and can recover if conditions improve, but prolonged or severe heat stress can weaken corals and, in some cases, lead to mortality.

We’re currently in the hottest time of the year, and our team can’t be everywhere at once! Join Mote’s BleachWatch team to help scientists track reef conditions by reporting your observations whenever you’re on the water.

🌡️ Learn more at mote.org/bleachwatch

Mote’s BleachWatch program is funded by the Protect Our Reefs specialty license plate grant program. Florida residents can support coral reef research and restoration every time they renew their vehicle registration by purchasing the reef plate. 🪸 Learn more at mote.org/reefplate.

📸: Samantha Simpson