Presenting with the theme of Overcoming Future Challenges in Reefkeeping.

Presentation Title: Spawning a new future for the industry: a decade of coral spawning in aquariums and its potential for sustainable coral production.

Bio: Aquarium Curator at the Horniman Museum and Gardens and co-founder of the Coral Spawning Lab

My main research interest is the reproductive biology of reef-building corals and over the past decade I have developed techniques to predictably induce broadcast coral spawning events in closed-system aquariums. To date I’ve induced gamete (egg and sperm) development in 24 reef building species and through in-vitro fertilization have produced multiple genetically diverse coral in captivity.

Much of my latest research focuses on the development of pipeline processes to maximise coral production from these reproductive events to support research, conservation and aquaculture.

Having previously worked as an underwater cameraman in Borneo I try to combine imaging techniques into my research as much as possible!

Finally, being a little coral obsessed, over the past year I’ve brought my work home and installed a home coral spawning lab in the family kitchen to teach my two boys about this fascinating area of reproductive biology.