About us

Why we run a rescue without a kennel.

We are a small marine conservation nonprofit based in the Florida Keys, focused on coral reef restoration, water quality monitoring, and public education. Our field team grows staghorn and elkhorn coral in underwater nurseries, outplants them onto degraded reef sites, and tracks their survival over years.

The reefs south of Key Largo have lost more than ninety percent of their coral cover since the 1970s. We cannot reverse that alone. We can help restore it site by site, one transplant at a time, and we can train the next generation of marine scientists to continue the work.

We operate two coral nurseries, one off Pickles Reef and one at Molasses Reef. Each nursery holds several hundred coral fragments suspended on trees built from PVC and rebar. Fragments grow, get outplanted, and are tagged for monitoring.

Our boats are small. Our team is small. The work is slow. It is also the only path.

Leadership and governance

We are governed by a five-member volunteer board that meets quarterly. Day-to-day operations are led by a small paid staff. Full bios and our annual Form 990 are available on request.

Financial transparency

Our most recent audit is available upon request at info@coralreefsconservation.org. Over 91% of expenses fund direct animal care. Administrative costs run under 6%; fundraising under 3%.