Coral Restoration Can Help Restore Fish Communities

December 27, 2017
Annie Opel threads a nursery tree with lines of coral pieces. Photo by Kemit-Amon Lewis

Part of IB undergraduate, Annie Opel's (Cavanaugh Lab) thesis research was spent diving in and around the coral reefs off St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands for hours a day. Opel's research, published in the December issue of Marine Biology with Opel as first author, shows efforts to restore coral reefs have a positive impact on local fish populations, both in the short term and over time. The Harvard GazetteEurekAlert!

Image: Annie Opel threads a nursery tree with lines of coral pieces. Photo by Kemit-Amon Lewis