Hope for damaged parts of Great Barrier Reef as tourism sector helps deploy millions of coral 'babies'

Coral IVF program reviving struggling reefs (Supplied: Johnny Gaskell)

Plumes of tiny white particles fall like underwater snow over the remnants of this reef.

It is the first sign of new coral life here in years.

Once a vibrant expanse of underwater colour, this site on the Great Barrier Reef was obliterated during a severe tropical cyclone nearly five years ago.

Now, a team of researchers and tour guides is floating on the surface above the reef.

Armed with a few boats, special pontoon structures and some patience, they're confident it can be revived.

Floating nursery pools nestled among the Whitsunday islands store the coral spawn while it 'grows'. (Supplied: Johnny Gaskell)

IVF for coral

The process began a week ago, during a spectacular spawning event that saw trillions of coral egg and sperm bundles released into the water.

The annual phenomenon was recorded off the coast of centres including Cairns and Airlie Beach.

Trillions of egg and sperm are released in a stunning haze of orange and red during a coral spawning event. (Supplied: Johnny Gaskell)

Whitsunday tourism operators and scientists from groups including the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and Southern Cross University were there for the occasion.

"What we're trying to do is collect the eggs from parts of the Whitsundays that have significant coral spawning events and then bring the eggs to parts … where there's not much coral," said marine biologist with Reef Catchments, Johnny Gaskell.

Dr Mark Gibbs, principal engineer at AIMS, said the spawn was transferred into floating nursery pools stationed kilometres away to develop into larvae.

"We're stopping them from being washed to sea and depositing them right on the reef," Dr Gibbs said.

After about six days the larvae is funnelled onto reef systems damaged by bleaching or cyclones, such as the reef off Black Island in the Whitsundays.

The team sit around the edges of the floating nursery, lifting the mesh to 'funnel' the larvae onto the reef below.  (ABC Tropical North: Angel Parsons )

This is known as coral IVF, a process pioneered by Queensland professor Peter Harrison.

"A few people around the world are trying this now, but a lot of the development has come from Australia," Dr Gibbs said.

"They've all, to my knowledge, been done by researchers.

The program, funded by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation's Reef Islands Initiative, has been trialled at a few sites off the Queensland coast since 2016, and has been scaled up with the help of locals.

As well as sites off Black Island, the larvae is also deploying off of Lizard Island north of Cairns. 

The team have been living aboard a vessel owned by a local tourism company at Black Island. (Supplied: Johnny Gaskell)

All hands on deck

It's hoped the local tourism sector will play a key role in this type of reef restoration in coming years – providing businesses alternative income streams and upskilling staff in reef regeneration.

"One of the problems with this method is coral spawns once or twice a year, when it happens we need people and vessels to do it," Dr Gibbs said.

Working hard to collect millions of coral sperm and eggs - not your typical 'night out' in the Whitsundays.  (Supplied: Johnny Gaskell)

"There's an existing pool of people and vessels in the tourism industry.

"This project is about developing the equipment and testing the methods with participants, which are traditional owners and the tourism industry.

"It's all very inexpensive, accessible equipment."

Tour operators such as Michela Veltri are heavily involved in the project, which is upskilling staff and offering alternative income streams.  (ABC Tropical North: Angel Parsons )

Michela Veltri works as a deckhand at an adventure tourism company.

She, like many other local staff, jumped at the chance to get involved.

"There are still some amazing places to go snorkelling and diving in the Whitsundays," she said.

"But if you look at some of the other areas that were exposed on the northern parts of the islands, they're not recovering very well."

How viable is this restoration?

Few have spent as much time underwater in the Whitsundays as marine biologist Johnny Gaskell.

He has seen the impacts of bleaching and cyclone damage first hand, but said many parts of the reef were still teeming with life and hope.

Marine biologist Johnny Gaskell says the coral IVF technique is showing promising results.  (ABC Tropical North: Angel Parsons )

"Ever since Cyclone Debbie, the Whitsundays has less coral cover than it did … but there are plenty of sites to go have a look," Mr Gaskell said.

"To fight the big impacts like climate change, small-scale restoration has no chance.

"But to try and increase the recovery of local tourism sites, that's where restoration really becomes an important part of the recovery process."

Once fertilised, the coral spawn develops into swimming larvae over about six days.  (Supplied: Johnny Gaskell)

It can take about three to four years for decent corals to form after the larvae is released.

The first microscopic larvae deployed using this technique on Heron Island in 2016 has grown to dinner-plate size.

Four different tourism businesses pitched in with this latest project on the Whitsundays. 

While usually competitors, it was a rare chance to work together.

And Dr Mark Gibbs said it was a great success.