TAMPA, Fla. — Coral spawning is underway at the Florida Aquarium, where scientists are working to breed corals rescued from extreme water temperatures off the coast of the Florida Keys.

Twenty coral colonies were donated to the aquarium by its partners in the Florida Keys, including Reef Renewal USA, MOTE Marine Laboratory and Aquarium and Coral Restoration Foundation. Each of those organizations have ocean-based coral nurseries where coral bleaching and die offs are occurring, as water temperatures reached record highs this summer.

Keri O’Neil, the Florida Aquarium’s Coral Conservation Program Director, was in the Florida Keys just a few weeks ago and saw the devastation first hand.

“We gave each other a lot of hugs and just tried to give each other moral support,” O’Neil said. “But then something kind of flips in you and now its like OK, we need to work even harder. “

O’Neil said plans were already in place to collect elkhorn corals from the wild for use in the aquarium’s breeding program. But when the team got to the Florida Keys, they discovered mass bleaching and die offs throughout the area. The aquarium’s partners made the decision to donate its at-risk corals in an effort to keep the aquarium’s breeding efforts going.

Elkhorn coral spawning only happens once a year during the August full moon. The team at the aquarium carefully selected some of the donated coral to breed, in the hopes of creating more resilient types moving forward. The spawning is currently underway under conditions mimicking those found in the wild.

O’Neil said it’s likely the heat stress the corals underwent before being relocated is affecting their breeding abilities, though it’s not yet clear to what extent.