CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Nearly 300 individual corals have been rescued from Florida and are temporarily being housed at the Texas State Aquarium until they are re-homed.
It's called Operation Coral Rescue and it's all to rescue these critical endangered species.
Corals play a big role in protecting our coastlines and providing a home to a majority of marine life.
They are anticipated to be at the aquarium for 3 to 6 months.
"What is really nice about working with the aquarium is that they have all the correct facilities in order to house corals. They are very sensitive creatures and we're able to work with the aquarium to make sure they have the perfect conditions here in order to make sure they survive and thrive," said Dr. Keisha Bahr, Chair for Coral Reef and Ocean Health for the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Another aspect of research that is ongoing is genetic replication of an endangered coral called the Staghorn Coral which has been near genetic extinction due to global warming in Florida. They are going to be replicated here in Texas as a safeguard.
"So, it's not just bringing them in and rescuing them but that's just really what the mission of this organization is. How do we fix the disaster and how do we get these animals back out? It's not rescuing and getting them back out, that's not the goal, so the research that will come from it will be absolutely outstanding," said President and CEO of Texas State Aquarium Jesse Gilbert.
Over at the main aquarium, you can see the endospecific species of coral as well as the Atlantic corals that are going through the rescue process.