should a coral fragment be?
article and images by dieter Brockmann
The trade in live stony
corals is currently worth
hundreds of millions of
dollars, as the demand
in the marine hobby
is estimated at 11–12
million specimens per
year worldwide. Because
collecting in the wild
may impact coral reefs
that are already suffering
due to global warming
and other influences,
the efficient propagation
of corals in aquaculture
has become even more
important than ever.
far left: l. Winkelhöfer; all others:d. knop
above: larger Acropora frags
survive and grow faster than
smaller frags, new research has
found. left: small colonies for sale
in a German coral retail shop.
