As forecasters warn of an unusually strong El Niño that could drive dangerously warm ocean temperatures across the Florida Keys this summer, the organizations that helped save thousands of corals during the worst bleaching event ever recorded on Florida’s Coral Reef say they’re entering the season better prepared than ever before.
Researchers at the University of South Florida’s Keys Marine Laboratory and their restoration partners have spent the past three years expanding coral refuge capacity, strengthening emergency response plans and identifying the corals most critical to long term reef recovery — changes driven directly by the unprecedented marine heatwave that struck in 2023.
“We know what’s coming,” said Cindy Lewis, who has a doctorate in coral biology and is the director of Keys Marine Laboratory. “And we are all better prepared to face an emergency crisis after our experiences from the 2023 El Niño event.”
During the 2023 crisis, more than 5,000 corals were relocated from offshore nurseries and parent colonies to temperature-controlled seawater systems at KML, which is operated by the Florida Institute of Oceanography. They remained there until ocean temperatures cooled enough to return them safely to the reef.
One lesson stood above the rest: Florida needed more emergency, land-based refuge space.
With funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), KML completed the construction of a new temperature-controlled seawater system in June 2026, adding 20 more seawater tables to support coral restoration, bringing the total to 80 tables and tanks.
Additional funding from DEP in the latest state budget will support the operation of 28 of these tables at KML. These are specifically designated for reef restoration and rapid emergency response, ensuring corals are safely housed and eventually returned to the reef. Each table is equipped with rain covers and power heads to circulate water, helping rescued corals thrive.
Working with KML, partners including The Florida Aquarium, Coral Restoration Foundation, Reef Renewal USA, Islamorada Conservation and Restoration Education and the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute have already identified priority corals, refined rescue protocols and coordinated how they’ll respond if conditions deteriorate.
“We learned that we simply cannot save them all,” Lewis said. “But we need to ensure that we can preserve a critical mass and diversity of corals to continue restoration efforts. The 2023 event forced us all to re-assess and prioritize which corals to ‘rescue.’”
Florida’s 360-mile coral reef is still recovering from the record bleaching event. Among the hardest hit in 2023 was critically endangered elkhorn coral, making this summer’s protection efforts especially important.
Recovery efforts, including the delivery of more than 1,050 resilient coral juveniles to KML from Florida Aquarium in May 2025, are ongoing, making the protection of existing and recently restored corals this summer especially urgent.
When bleaching occurs, warming water stresses corals into expelling the symbiotic algae living in their tissues, causing them to turn white. Prolonged thermal stress can lead to coral death. With El Niño poised to push sea surface temperatures even higher, the window for intervention could be narrow.
“One of the clearest lessons from the 2023 marine heatwave is that redundancy saves corals,” said Phanor Montoya-Maya, restoration program manager for Coral Restoration Foundation. “When conditions change faster than anyone predicts, having multiple response options, not just one plan, is what keeps restoration efforts resilient. It’s what gives us the best chance to preserve the coral stock needed to restore Florida’s reefs.”
With expanded refuge capacity, coordinated rescue plans and a stronger restoration network already in place, KML and its partners say they’re ready to act quickly if ocean temperatures again threaten one of the nation’s most important marine ecosystems.
“The Keys Marine Laboratory is uniquely positioned to support a coordinated, multi-agency response,” said Gil McRae, director of the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. “This expanded capability will greatly increase the chances that corals that are critically important to long-term restoration goals can be spared widespread mortality from bleaching events.”
Armed with greater capacity, a head start on preparation and lessons learned from the most severe bleaching event on record, KML and its partners enter this summer with a safety net stronger than ever before.
“Having additional capacity at Keys Marine Laboratory means more corals can be protected, monitored, and cared for if stressful conditions develop this summer,” said Kylie Smith, co-founder of Islamorada Conservation and Restoration Education. “Investments like this don’t just benefit a single organization; they strengthen the entire restoration community’s ability to safeguard years of restoration progress and respond quickly when our reefs need it most.
— Contributed
