Breeding baby corals so we can all breathe free

July 26, 2025Leave a comment

This almost 400-year-old plantation site on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands is home to a laboratory designed to cultivate coral and return it to the sea, an effort to help restore our Caribbean coral reefs.

The sign on the dirt road read “Estate Little Princess Established 1738”. The 25-acre plot which lies just west of Christiansted on the St. Croix coast was once a sugar plantation. You can still see the tall sugar mill—one of about 100 that dot the island—a testament to the liquid treasure of the rum industry, wealth made on the backs of the almost 29,000 African slaves that were transported to what are today the U.S. Virgin Islands during the Danish Colonial Period.

The beauty of the place is overwhelming with its flashy green flora and scarlet Flamboyant trees. Not that the most important residents would notice. The tiny corals that reside in special protected tanks lie placidly, waiting for their chance to be released into the sea.

“You see this?” Our guide, Semoya Phillips of the Virgin Islands Coral Innovation Hub, pointed at a large chunk of coral partway up the side of the property’s sugar mill. “It was gouged out of the reef because building material was needed. The people believed it was a renewable resource.”

And while coral does grow back, the process is painstakingly slow. That’s why the Nature Conservancy helps fund the lab facility. Here’s how they explain it on their website: “The Nature Conservancy and partners are advancing coral science to help reefs recover at a meaningful scale. Using our land-based and underwater nurseries, we are innovating ways to breed significantly more corals, with greater survival rates, for reef restoration. Novel techniques allow us to dramatically increase coral growth and preserve coral genetic diversity for improved reef resilience. Healthy new corals are then used to bring dying reefs back to life and restore the benefits they provide for our ocean, communities and economies.”

***Semoya Phillips, who works at the Virgin Islands Coral Innovation Hub, points out coral that was used as building material for a sugar mill*** ***that was constructed hundreds of years ago.***

Some of you may be thinking, “Gosh! Why should I care about coral reefs?”

Here’s the thing. Do you like to breathe? Note that our oceans produce 50% of the oxygen in our atmosphere. And coral reefs do their part because they house algae called zooxanthellae that convert carbon dioxide and water into energy through photosynthesis and—bada bing bada boom—release oxygen into the atmosphere.

And there’s more! When those big bad hurricanes come roaring ashore, it’s coral reefs that slow the water down, lessening the damage from storm surge. Twenty-five percent of the world’s fish grow up in the protective nooks and crannies of coral reefs before venturing out to sea—think Finding Nemo—with over 4,000 species dependent on coral reefs at some point in their fishy lives. So, with about 500 million people dependent on fish for food, the decimation of coral reefs could cause worldwide starvation. And let’s not forget the benefits of ecotourism. In the interest of full transparency, I’m a scuba diver and can think of nothing more delightful than floating above a shimmering reef watching jewel-colored fishes dancing in the sunlight.

So, yes, we need to do all we can to save our reefs, which are dying off at unprecedented rates due to warming seas cause by climate change. The rising temperatures force the corals to expell the algea that give them their beautiful colors, bleaching that often leads to the death of the colony. Pollution, over fishing, and costal development, among other things, are also destoying the reefs.

Currently, researchers like Phillips are cloning corals they retrieve from the sea giving them space and time to grow and then transplanting them back into the ocean. It’s a time consuming and arduous task, one that often results in the little creatures dying off again. And still, they try.

***Don’t these coral babies look like cookies? The little ones will hopefully someday be returned to the sea in an effort to restore our coral reefs.***

“I know, like parents, we’re not supposed to pick favorites,” Phillips said with a smile. “But …” She nodded at a tank that held a different type of coral babies. “These are not clones.”

The tiny corals in question were bred from sperm and eggs that are released once a year by the millions, a synchronized dance which often occurs in conjunction with a full moon. They are then gently gathered up by divers and moved to the lab tanks for fertilization.

“They provide diversification,” Phillips explained.

And that’s important, because diversity will help the corals be more resilient and better able to stave off disease. There’s also hope that corals might be developed that can thrive in the warming waters of our world’s oceans.

The effort to regrow coral can be disheartening. At one St. Croix underwater site where researchers spent three years establishing a coral nursery, 67% of the babies were wiped out in a matter of weeks, which prompted me to ask, what’s the point?

“Coral’s have been around for a very long time. Bleaching is recent,” Phillips said. “But people worldwide are studying this modern problem looking for solutions.” She gazed again at the coral babies in a glimmering tank and smiled. A scientist with hope.

Here’s hoping we find a lot more like her.

Your Forgotten Sons

Inspired by a true story

Anne Montgomery

Bud Richardville is inducted into the Army as the United States prepares for the invasion of Europe in 1943. A chance comment has Bud assigned to a Graves Registration Company, where his unit is tasked with locating, identifying, and burying the dead. Bud ships out, leaving behind his new wife, Lorraine, a mysterious woman who has stolen his heart but whose secretive nature and shadowy past leave many unanswered questions. When Bud and his men hit the beach at Normandy, they are immediately thrust into the horrors of what working in a graves unit entails. Bud is beaten down by the gruesome demands of his job and losses in his personal life, but then he meets Eva, an optimistic soul who despite the war can see a positive future. Will Eva’s love be enough to save him?

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Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.

Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.

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The mysterious Virgin Islands

July 12, 20254 Comments

***Here’s a look at my backyard on St. Croix in the USVI. Yep, as you can see, I’m a spoiled brat.***

I live part time in a place that most people don’t seem to understand. Take Netflix for example, which denied me the opportunity to watch a new TV series by saying, “This title is currently unavailable for viewing in your country.”

Or Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport where the nice people behind the domestic flight counter shake their heads and say, “You have to get into the international flights line.”

Or my gas company in Arizona that refused to let me pay my bill online. “We cannot accept payment from your current location.”

USVI should not be that difficult to explain. It means the United States Virgin Islands. It’s just like living in Pennsylvania, or Colorado, or Montana, just without the flamboyant sea view.

And now I will put on my history teacher cap and explain. The U.S. Virgin Islands include 50 minor islands and cays, as well as St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix, where I get to sit on my patio and stare at the ever-changing colors of the Caribbean Sea whenever I want. Doesn’t that sound nice? These islands were purchased from Denmark—one of seven nations to hold sway here—in 1917 for a cool $25 million dollars in gold. That was the year the U.S. entered World War I and the thinking was it would be detrimental if the Germans got a foothold in the Caribbean, especially in the Virgin Island’s where there are several natural deep-water ports, the perfect place to park some of their warships so they could wreak havoc near American shores. In 1927 the islands were deemed an unincorporated territory and their inhabitants were granted U.S. citizenship.

If like the aforementioned entities you’re still skeptical, note that we even have ZIP codes, which are pretty much nonexistent outside of the U.S. Now, it’s true that Virgin Islanders do not get to vote in presidential elections, but we do have one non-voting representative in Congress. We are just like Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the other U.S. Territories. When I set foot on my little island, I am on United States soil.

Here’s the thing. The U.S. Virgin Islands are magnificently beautiful with their tropical climate and the mesmerizing Caribbean Sea that surrounds them. And they have fascinating history. Way back in 1493, a landing party of two dozen men was sent ashore by Christopher Columbus who was on his second voyage to the New World. They were met by a group natives who were surely astonded by the 17 ships they found in the waters off their shores. When the sailors captured women and children to be slaves, the natives fired arrows at them. One native was decapitated by Columbus’ men. It is the first documented instance of resistance by American indigenous peoples against European colonists. St. Croix alone boasts two forts built almost 300 years ago: Fort Chistiansvaern and Fort Fredrik, constructed to protect the island from other nations and the marauding pirates who periodically showed up waving the skull and cross bones. How cool is that? And let’s not forget young Alexander Hamilton who hip-hopped his way around St. Croix, before skipping over to the mainland to do his Founding Father thing.

But I digress.

I’m not sure what else I can say to convince the naysayers that the lovely island I call home is part of the United States. Maybe you can pass the word.

Your Forgotten Sons

Inspired by a true story

Anne Montgomery

Amazon

Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.

Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.

Goodreads

Amazon

Tackling the lionfish one earring at a time

June 29, 2024June 30, 20242 Comments

***While lionfish are lovely, they are a venomous invasive species that is devastating the Caribbean, our Atlantic coastline***, ***and beyond.***

Lionfish are beautiful creatures, so when I’ve seen them speared I’ve sometimes felt momentarily sad. However, the sentiment passes quickly when I remember the monster we’re up against.

Originally from the warm tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific, the splashy, venomous fish—whose spines can produce a horribly painful sting—appeared one day off the coast of South Florida in 1985. How the creature got there remains a mystery, and it’s rapid spread throughout the waters of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and along the eastern coasts of both North and South America has astounded marine scientists.

What’s the big deal, you ask? Lionfish are voracious eaters. They prey on just about any small fish or invertebrate species, noshing on those little guys like someone going free range at a casino buffet. They eat and eat and eat, and when they’re full they purge themselves and start again. The problem, of course, is that when they’re done, there are no little fish to grow up into big fish, leaving our reefs decimated of most marine life.

***My friend and fellow diver Phil Karp visited me in St. Croix and taught me how to make lionfish jewelry.***

And the worst part is lionfish have no natural predators. So if something isn’t done to stop them, the Great Mexican Reef—the second largest barrier reef in the world which stretches from the Caribbean coasts of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Brazil—will be nothing but a dead zone.

So what do we do? It turns out that once those vicious spines are removed lionfish are quite yummy, but because they’re not very big, fishermen often decline to hunt them. A number of places throughout the Caribbean sponsor lionfish roundups and chef competitions in an effort to get diners interested in eating the fish, but the animals reproduce so rapidly—they release 50,000 eggs every three days year round—that all those plates of lionfish ceviche, blackened lionfish, and lionfish tacos hardly touch the problem.

So here’s where I introduce my friend Phil Karp. As an aside, let me point out that Phil and I grew up in the same town in New Jersey. Though we didn’t know each other, we struck up a conversation at our 50^th high school reunion and discovered we shared a love of scuba diving.

Phil is one of those problem-solver types. He’s been diving all over the world and the lionfish issue vexed him. He wondered if there might be a way to increase the value of the lionfish making it more attractive to fishermen. Then, he looked at the stunningly-spotted spines and fins on the creature, gathered a bunch in a ziplock bag, and located a couple of jewelers. Together they created a line of earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.

***Lionfish jewelery may not solve the problem, but the lovely pieces just might spread awareness and keep people focussed on the issue.***

And that’s not all. Phil began traveling around the Caribbean, spreading the word and teaching local women how to make the lionfish jewelry, an endeavor that not only increased the value of the fish up to 40%—which gave fishermen more of an incentive to catch it—but also provided women with a beautiful product to sell.

Is lionfish jewelry enough to stop the assault? Maybe not. But it’s a way to keep the problem in the public eye. And when we add those pretty baubles to lionfish recipes and lionfish tournaments and scuba divers always at the ready to spear the little buggers, maybe we can make a dent.

So, my thanks to Phil for his inventive idea. Now, let’s come up with some more.