VIRGINIA KEY, FLA. (WSVN) - Researchers in Virginia Key have collected corals and given them a new home at the University of Miami.
UM’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science took in healthy corals from the Dry Tortugas National Park on Friday.
Researchers picked up the corals before a disease that affects coral reefs moves in.
The school will be the temporary home for up to 22 coral species to preserve their genetic diversity.
Researchers said the disease outbreak is lethal to corals.
To date, nearly 100,000 acres of coral have been affected from Martin County to Key West.
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