What’s going on with corals at the nursery in Curacao during the Covid19 pandemic?

Here’s what I found out from the manager of the dive operation at Ocean Encounters that’s been closed to divers. The coral continues to grow and restoration efforts are continuing. 

“The corals are doing great!”

“I’m happy with our first times doing coral restoration. I was motivated when I saw the corals’ growth – the fragments on the trees in the nurseries and on the bamboo supports. It was good news that their polyps grew over the crimps, and in all directions – positive progress. This is what keeps me going.” 

I knew since we started this nursery in Curacao that coral restoration was not going to be enough to change the world. I cannot change coastal development, I cannot come up with policies to stop overfishing, ocean pollution, or reduce CO2 world’s emissions and its effects on ocean acidification. What I can do is grow corals, and I can restore them. And some of them won’t make it all the way. But if some corals do make it, those are new corals. Those bring hope, enough hope for each one of us to do our part. Underwater gardeners, politicians, scientists and ocean lovers, they all have an important role to play, and we are successfully doing ours.

It’s not only Coral Restoration, there are more aspects that can affect, contribute and improve our oceans, but there is only hope if everyone does his or her job.” – Pol Bosch, Manager of Ocean Encounters, parent business of Coral Restoration Curacao