For every tiny bundle that meets its match, there's a chance fertilisation may occur, leading to more corals that'll in turn attract colourful marine life.
Queensland-based Reef Restoration Foundation is over the moon and for good reason.
The corals the not-for-profit organisation planted four years ago in a nursery on Fitzroy Island off the coast of Cairns have finally spawned.
As water temperatures and tides reached optimal conditions in Welcome Bay, thousands of coral polyps simultaneously released millions of tiny bundles of eggs and sperms into the water, in what is referred to as the biggest reproduction show on earth.
"Watching our coral babies reproduce for the first time to create the next generation of corals was a beautiful and humbling experience," says marine biologist Azri Saparwan, who helped to plant the corals in 2018 in areas devastated by cyclones or bleaching.
For every tiny bundle that meets its match, there's a chance fertilisation may occur, leading to more corals that'll in turn attract colourful marine life.
