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Floridian coral reefs are feeling the benefits of federal economic stimulus money.

When a tropical fish salesman discovered that he could prune tiny pieces of coral and culture them for use in aquariums, he decided to approach researchers at Florida Marine Sanctuary to see if the same technique could be used to help replenish the reefs.

The program they started has been a success, restoring coral at a scale not seen before. With the new federal money, the research groups hope to expand their Floridian programs and open operations in the Virgin Islands. It is hoped that the expansion will create 60 jobs and transplant at least 12,000 corals over the next three years.

Researchers hope that coral transplants will help to jumpstart reef reproduction, and have already documented this occurring in some of the replacement areas. They also may look into using selective breeding to help make more resilient species.

Coral reefs provide many plants and animals with shelter, food, and breeding ground, and also form a natural barrier, which protects the coast from dangerous storms. The reefs have suffered considerable damage due to run-off and cruise ship pollution, erosion caused by beach sand "nourishment" programs, and the warming of the oceans.