Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, announced a partnership with Johnson Outdoors, a leading global innovator of outdoor recreation equipment and technology, together with its SCUBAPRO brand, to create a community coral reef restoration program that offers divers the opportunity to participate and make a positive difference in the health of our coral reef system.

"At Johnson Outdoors, we consider it our responsibility to leave the world a better place and to accelerate our environmental efforts. We’re excited to partner with Mote Marine Laboratory to offer divers the opportunity to dive with us and help restore coral reefs," said Helen Johnson-Leipold, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Outdoors.

“Coral reefs are the building block of the ocean ecosystem, accounting for 25 percent of marine life worldwide. We’re excited to partner with Johnson Outdoors and SCUBAPRO on this program that will bring scale to a program rooted in ground-breaking science,” said Dr. Michael P. Crosby, President & CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium.

SCUBAPRO is partnering with its vast network of ocean conservation-conscious brand dealers to organize a series of coral reef restoration events for divers to experience first-hand Mote’s science-based research and conservation efforts to protect the oceans we all love and enjoy.

During the full-day program, participants will learn about coral reef ecology and get a hands-on experience with Mote’s leading, holistic science-based coral reef restoration methods, including a Mote pioneered technique called microfragmentation and reskinning, which allows Mote to grow thousands of coral fragments on land before planting them onto the reef, stimulating rapid growth at a rate as fast as 50x compared to natural coral growth.

Participants may also help maintain Mote’s underwater coral tree nurseries, and plant coral fragments grown in the program out on real ocean reefs. All scuba divers are welcome to join SCUBAPRO and Mote for these restoration events.