Coral research provides a wave of optimism for marine life

Out of their love for corals, Feng and his team have been trying new experimental methods over the years. They also sought advices from experts at the Institute of South China Sea, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Xiamen University to develop a set of advanced water quality treatment technology. The microorganism symbiosis, involving carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, provides the most suitable growth environment for corals to grow and reproduce rapidly. Now Feng has made breakthroughs in artificial reproduction technology for more than 300 species of corals. Six key technologies, including modular coral farming devices, have obtained national patents. Planting a coral seedling the size of a fingernail would result, in a few months, in a larger coral clump. The coral is placed on a movable base, and the whole coral can be taken out by pulling out the base. The whole plant can be transplanted to the seabed with the base intact, so as to increase its stability and survival rate.

"Our goal is to cultivate corals in an artificial environment to improve their heat, acid, and insect resistance, and make it possible to restore and plant large-scale wild corals in the future,"Feng says. He hopes that the corals they breed will return to the sea, so that the underwater world where corals grow will still be full of vitality.