Our V-Shaped Raceway: An Efficient System for Coral Cultivation
The V-shaped raceway is designed to support multiple coral cultivation methods, including sexual reproduction, asexual propagation, and micro-fragmentation. It provides a practical, scalable grow-out system that supports consistent coral development across restoration and research applications.
The raceway’s V-shaped geometry is inspired by natural river channels and is designed to promote steady water movement. This configuration allows corals to grow at an approximately 45-degree angle, which helps reduce sediment accumulation and supports higher survival rates during early growth stages.
Key design features:
Modular and expandable – The system can be configured to suit different space requirements and production targets, with additional sections added as needed.
V-shaped structure – Improves water circulation while reducing sedimentation stress, supporting juvenile coral health.
Energy-efficient water movement – The flow design reduces pumping demands compared to conventional land-based raceways.
High grow-out capacity – Each 2-metre section accommodates 10 frag trays, with 216 settlement plugs per tray (up to 2,160 plugs per section).
Restoration-scale deployment – Systems can be expanded to up to 24 V-lengths, supporting more than 50,000 coral plugs.
System compatibility – Integrates with broodstock and embryo rearing systems to support coral culture from spawning through grow-out.
The V-shaped raceway is designed to support scalable coral production while maintaining stable growing conditions suitable for long-term reef restoration efforts.
Partners in purpose @coralspawninginternational@tropicalmarinecentre / Biosystems design and build systems to meet the requirements for land base coral production for reef restoration and research.
@lucasaponari@sey_priya@vickytormenta@krtcraggs21@jamiecraggs@colettesmarinetank@brian.schaff
#ReefRestoration #MarineInnovation #CoralResearch #CoralNursery
We are very pleased to share some exciting news about the successful ex-situ spawning of Trachyphyllia geoffroyi. Over the past two years, in a collaborative project with @coralspawninginternational , @tropicalmarinecentre and the @hornimanmuseumgardens , we have successfully spawned this species, documented its embryological development, and are now offering the juveniles to the UK marine aquarium market.
“If managed carefully, these ex-situ spawning events have the potential to produce surplus corals for use in ecosystem restoration, providing a circular economic model where aquaculture helps to fund restoration. This vision has been a passion for many years and continues to drive my research.” Dr Jamie Craggs
Brian Schaff, CEO of Tropical Marine Centre, emphasised the importance of this achievement for sustainable aquaculture:
“As a company dedicated to sustainability in the marine ornamental trade, we are delighted to partner in this pioneering work. Focusing on sexual coral reproduction provides another long-term, sustainable pathway to supply corals for the aquarium trade, working alongside principals of short supply chains, inland asexual farming and mariculture. What is genuinely unique in sexual reproduction is the ability to scale and realistic collaboration with conservation and restoration of reefs at source.”
Coral spawning in the Seychelles signals the start of a new restoration chapter for @naturesey 🌊✨
This partnership, made possible through our amazing collaboration with @canonuk , is helping us create a positive impact for reefs across the western Indian Ocean.
Last Friday (8th of May) 7 nights after the full moon, we had another exciting coral spawning event at the ARC with 4 colonies spawning! Please see an explainer from the Reef Rescuers for the series of pictures in the caption!
1. To identify gravid (egg bearing) coral colonies, the team carries out gamete checks in the field monthly and collects colonies to spawn on land. They noticed that the species Acropora secale had gravid eggs, so 5 colonies were collected and brought to the ARC facility. In the picture, you can see the pigmented eggs (ready to spawn around the next full moon).
2. Shows the A. secale colonies in the ARC tanks. At the mouth of each polyp, there are bundles (package of eggs and sperm) that are ready to be released into the water column.
3. This video shows the bundles being released by the corals. They are buoyant and float to the surface where they “pop open” to have the eggs fertilized by the sperm of the other corals of the same tank. The eggs and sperm are collected gently and prepared for the next steps of rearing the embryos.
4. Eggs, Sperm & bundles: Under the stereoscope with our Canon R5 Mark II we can photograph the individual eggs. We also see in the picture the bundles that haven't popped open yet. The whitish milky part is the sperm.
5. Fertilized egg: Once the eggs are fertilized and started cell division, they look like a coco de mer!
The coral embryos are now reared in the system to let them develop into larvae and then grow into new genetically distinct coral genotypes. Once they settle they will move into the v-shape raceway to give the coral babies the best conditions to grow. Once they are big enough they will be outplanted.
We thank @canonemeapro for the funding support for the lab and imaging equipment to capture these breath-taking moments, and @coralspawninginternational for the lab, expertise and scientific support that enables us to collect more data on coral spawning in the Seychelles!
#coralreefrestoration #seychelles #coralspawing #gametes #corals
Thanks to the generous donation of the Canon EOS R5 Mark II from @canoneurope , we were able to capture these breath-taking moments and record more data on coral spawning in the Seychelles. These images document egg bundles from Favites pentagona for the first time in the Seychelles. Each spawning event helps us better understand how coral reefs survive, adapt, and recover.
#seychelles #coralreefrestoration #coralspawning #coralaquaculture #praslinisland
A small but mighty team!
Meet the Reef Rescuers team at @naturesey , @lucasaponari , @sey_priya and @vickytormenta . Their dedicated work restoring coral reefs around the coast of the special nature reserve of Cousin Island is achieving great things.
Read the full story about these incredible ocean ambassadors on Canon EMEA VIEW.
/view/world-unseen-coral-conservation/nature-seychelles-reef-rescuers/?utm_campaign=eu_corporate_ao_mixed&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_content=eulio
Last November, we made history with the very first land-based coral spawning of Acropora tenuis mf. macrostoma. At the end of February we checked in on the babies. And there they are - tiny coral babies, now grown big enough to be spotted with the naked eye!
Each settlement plug from that spawning has been carefully reared in our V-shaped raceways at the Coral Spawning Lab, designed to give fragile coral spat the best possible start. Now comes the meticulous part: sorting through almost 8,000 plugs to see which ones carry coral babies.
With the help of our stereoscope and Canon R5 Mark II, we can photograph, analyze, and track their development, turning science into stories of resilience and hope for reefs. This is what reef restoration looks like up close: slow, meticulous, and filled with wonder. We are incredibly grateful to our partners @canoneurope and @coralspawninginternational for making this amazing work possible!
#coralreefrestoration #seychelles #coralspawning #corals #spats
Special thanks to @coral_magazine for publishing our latest article highlighting the successful spawning and rearing of the open brain coral Trachyphyllia geoffroyi.
This achievement represents an important step forward. The successful breeding of T. geoffroyi not only reduces the need for wild collection, but also creates new opportunities for active reef restoration. When managed carefully, spawning events like these have the potential to generate surplus corals for ecosystem restoration, helping to build a circular economic model where aquaculture supports conservation — and conservation, in turn, sustains the industry.
This vision has driven our research for many years and continues to guide our work every day.
This success was made possible through a fantastic collaboration between @coralspawninginternational@hornimanmuseumgardens and @tropicalmarinecentre , with each partner contributing their expertise and facilities to make this project possible.
All images were captured on the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, thanks to our ongoing partnership with @canoneurope
Partners in Purpose
Canon, Nature Seychelles, and Coral Spawning International have been working together to establish the first land-based coral spawning system in the Western Indian Ocean.
By incorporating coral sexual reproduction into Nature Seychelles’ restoration efforts, we are increasing the genetic diversity of outplanted corals and improving the climate resilience of the programme.
Find out more about our partnership at canon-europe.com/VIEW
Special thanks to @oceanographic_mag for covering the collaborative work between @naturesey , @canoneurope and @coralspawninginternational , bringing imaging technology and active coral restoration together to support ocean health.
Link to the article here:
/news/first-coral-spawning-recorded-at-seychelles-breeding-laboratory/
Read the Press Release on the landmark coral spawning event at our new coral breeding lab on Praslin Island last year. This achievement is a significant leap forward for reef restoration in Seychelles and is the result of our partnership with @canoneurope and @coralspawninginternational
The lab successfully produced approximately 800,000 coral embryos from 14 colonies belonging to the species Acropora tenuis cf. macrostoma. Initial evidence is highly encouraging showing the settlement of approximately 65,000 new corals.
🔗 Dive into the full press release through the link in our bio.
📷 All photos courtesy of @canoneurope
#coralspawning #coralreefrestoration #seychelles #climatecrisis #climateaction
