Australia's Great Barrier Reef receives fertility treatment

The 2,300 kilometer long coral reef -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- has been extensively damaged by a process known as coral bleaching in which warm water stresses the organism and causes it to die.
Scientists last November took microscopic sperm and eggs during the reef's annual coral spawning event and put them into giant tanks for fertilization at the Heron Island Research Station.
The more than a million coral larvae that resulted were then planted back onto the reef.
Peter Harrison on Heron Island.
Peter Harrison on Heron Island.
A year later, the team lead by Professor Peter Harrison from Southern Cross University returned to find that the juvenile corals had successfully established themselves on the reef.
"This pilot study carried out on Heron Island shows that our new techniques to give corals a helping hand to conceive and then settle, develop and grow in their natural environment can work on the Great Barrier Reef," Harrison said in a statement.
"The success of this new research not only applies to the Great Barrier Reef but has potential global significance -- it shows we can start to restore and repair damaged coral populations where the natural supply of coral larvae has been compromised."
The scientists used the technique again this November and Harrison said they had already observed successful settlement of the new coral larvae.
"We'll be monitoring the growth of both coral colonies and working to further refine the technique for potentially broader application in the future," he said.
Researchers collect coral spawn from tanks on Heron Island.
Researchers collect coral spawn from tanks on Heron Island.