Saving Corals in Dominica: Inside the Oceans Forward Coral Rescue Center
- Indigo Earth Foundation
- Dec 29, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 12
Oceans Forward – Daniel Langlois Coral Rescue Center
The Oceans Forward Daniel Langlois Coral Rescue Center in Dominica is open year-round and offers a guided conservation talk every Wednesday to tourists visiting the island, more precisely in Soufrière village. During these sessions, staff members present the coral rescue programme, introduce the different coral species housed in the tanks, and allow visitors to observe the feeding process under UV light, which intensifies the corals’ natural colours.
The Indigo Earth Foundation took this opportunity to visit the centre, deepen its understanding of Oceans Forward’s work, and receive the latest updates on ongoing projects. The talk was led by Simon Walsh, Director of Coral Restoration at Oceans Forward.
Simon also operates the dive centre located next door and follows a strictly ethical approach to diving, limiting the number of divers and prioritising the protection of corals and marine wildlife.
A race against time for coral survival
Over the past two years, corals have faced unprecedented threats. Mass bleaching events linked to global climate warming, particularly severe in 2023, have devastated reefs worldwide. Locally, corals in the Caribbean are also affected by Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), a lethal disease originating in Florida that can wipe out entire coral colonies in less than two weeks, with mortality rates approaching 100%.
Faced with these threats, it became clear that some corals had to be moved inland to preserve them.
Driven by his passion for marine life and his determination to protect Dominica’s marine biodiversity, Simon joined and now leads the coral rescue programme. This was no easy task. Together with his colleague Joe Hillman, he had to learn everything from scratch, design and build a fully operational coral tank system, and connect with an international network of aquarium specialists and coral researchers, including experts such as Judith Lang in Florida.
What has been achieved in less than two years is remarkable. The centre itself reflects the same innovative spirit: it runs on solar power, uses gravity to distribute seawater from storage tanks, and incorporates ingenious temperature-control and filtration systems.
The mission of the Coral Rescue Center
1. Creating a Dominican coral biobank
The first objective of the Coral Rescue Center is to create a biobank of Dominican coral species, similar in concept to the Norwegian seed bank but dedicated to corals.
So far, 26 different coral species have been rescued, with some species represented by up to 6 distinct genotypes. The goal is to keep these corals alive, growing, and healthy while conducting research on them.
The coral species housed at the Coral Rescue Center are considered corals of opportunity: they were removed from their natural environment because they would otherwise have died.
Very little scientific data exists on Dominican corals. Any research carried out at the centre contributes directly to the global scientific understanding of reef dynamics and coral resilience.
Attending the conservation talk offers valuable insight into coral biology:
What are corals, really? Corals are a symbiotic organism composed of a microscopic algae (zooxanthellae) and an animal (the polyp), living on a calcium carbonate skeleton.
Sex and reproduction: Coral gender is not fixed. Some coral species are hermaphroditic, and a few can change sex during their lifetime, sometimes annually or even monthly. A coral’s sex is only identifiable during spawning events.
Feeding: Corals are fed daily through a controlled water-flow system. Originally fed every three days, the team observed stress responses, such as paling, between feedings. Increasing feeding frequency significantly improved coral health. During the talk, visitors can observe polyps extending their tiny tentacles to capture food from the water.
Reproduction: Corals spawn during specific windows that vary by species and genotype. These spawning events are synchronised with the lunar cycle. For example, some corals spawn ten days after a full moon, one hour after sunset, over a four-day window.
2. Restoring coral reefs
Reef restoration requires growing corals to a size suitable for reintroduction into the ocean, once they are sexually mature and less susceptible to predation. They can then be reattached to reefs close to their kin.
At the rescue centre, corals are multiplied in tanks while ensuring that enough individuals of each species remain as a genetic reserve. Fragmentation is used to accelerate growth: corals are carefully cut using a diamond saw. Under the right conditions, fragmented corals can grow up to 30 times faster than in their natural environment.
In addition, coral “trees” have been installed directly in the ocean to support growth in situ.
As coral populations decline, natural reproduction becomes increasingly difficult.
Oceans Forward actively assists this process, often describing their work as a “modern coral Tinder.” Eggs and sperm are collected during spawning events, mixed, examined under a microscope, and redistributed onto corals.
This process requires intense effort. Volunteers and Oceans Forward staff spend four consecutive evenings patrolling reefs during spawning periods. Spawning lasts only about two minutes, and eggs initially float before becoming negatively buoyant when fertilized. Success depends entirely on being in the right place at the right time, and also assisted with nets placed on top of the related corals species prior to the spawning.
So far, attempts to complete the full life cycle of maize corals in tanks have not yet been successful. Several factors may explain this: light pollution from Soufrière village interfering with lunar light, insufficient rinsing of fertilised eggs, or contamination from decaying organic matter. In some cases, all material was washed away overnight, hopefully settling on nearby coral reefs and contributing to natural recruitment, as the team hopes.
The search for solutions continues, and, depending on fundings, an external expert may assess the entire process and recommend improvements.
Looking ahead
The Coral Rescue Center was made possible thanks to the initial support of Daniel Langlois and his wife, who had agreed to provide a grant prior to their tragic deaths. Unfortunately, the funding was never finalised. The project has since been sustained through private donations, grant funding from MCPik Zima, a small private foundation, and the ongoing support of Oceans Forward. It now operates under the Oceans Forward umbrella as a US- and Dominica-based NGO, with US 501(c)(3) status for tax-deductible donations.
Several additional projects are currently in development and require further support:
New coral tanks in a recently acquired building, fully protected from daylight and operated entirely with artificial lighting. This will require a powerful solar system capable of producing 12–15 kW per day.
Transformation of the existing centre into a café and presentation space for visitors, including rum tastings using products from their own distillery.
Continued support for existing programmes, including coral rescue operations, reproduction research, reef restoration, staff support, and ongoing tank maintenance.
If you believe in this project and wish to contribute, you can support Oceans Forward through the foundation, 100% of donations are passed directly to the organisation, or donate directly via their website:
Every dollar funds people and programs that protect marine animals and ocean habitats in the Caribbean.
What your gift can do:
Plant a coral tree to build back reefs decimated by SCTLD - $25
Fund a night of beach patrols to protect turtles - $50
Treat a coral colony for a month to protect it from SCTLD - $100
Track turtle movement through acoustic receivers - $250
Sponsor 3 months of vessel data to reduce whale ship strikes - $500
Outfit a turtle patroller with equipment needed to protect nesting and baby turtles - $1000
In the meantime, follow Oceans Forward on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to witness the remarkable work they are doing to protect coral reefs in Dominica.
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