ABC Pilbara

Topic: Marine Biology

Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 10:31am

Researchers put special cones to collect coral and help the reef.

In short:

Scientists are happy to see baby corals growing in Ningaloo Reef.

The plan to fix the reef started last year after it got very sick.

What's next?

The scientists will keep watching the corals for a few years.

Ningaloo Reef is getting better after a bad year.

The reef got hurt when the water got too hot.

Researchers tried to help the reef by growing baby coral.

A big storm hit, but the coral was strong.

Sharks are in the area, and people are looking closely.

The storm went over the reef where the scientists worked.

The scientists went back and saw the baby corals were okay.

Many researchers worked together to help the reef.

They used special pools to grow the baby coral.

The coral was then put back on the hurt parts of the reef.

We are helping nature by collecting coral spawn.

Protecting reef economy

The reef is important for animals and for people who make money from tourism.

Special cones were used to collect baby coral.

People who live near the reef support projects to help it.

Local businesses need a healthy reef to survive.

Damian Thomson at Ningaloo Reef after it got sick.

Tourism needs a healthy reef to attract visitors.

A business that takes people to the reef is happy to see it get better.

Many businesses rely on the reef and are still feeling the effects of the storm.

Without a healthy reef, many businesses will be hurt.

Many types of businesses rely on tourism, which relies on the reef.

Jessica Strickland-Coe says many tourism operators need the reef.

Problem far from solved

The baby corals are good news, but the problem is not fixed.

A researcher saw the hurt reef and was sad.

The reef got very sick last year.

The researcher knows that the Earth is getting hotter and the reef will get sick again.

Helping the reef is a way to slow down the damage.

James Gilmour with Damian Thomson.

The baby coral needs to be watched for many years.

The scientists will keep working and use what they learn to do more.

The coral grows slowly, so the work needs to be done over a big area and many times.

Mon 22 Jun 2026 at 10:31am

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