Metro Detroit expert sent to Caribbean to combat dwindling coral problem

DETROIT (FOX 2) - An expert from Metro Detroit was sent to Caribbean for a few weeks to help save thousands of coral struggling to survive.

"The Caribbean is having trouble with their corals and one of the problems is there's a lot of habitat distraction so when the opportunity came up to actually send staff there to help, we jumped on it," said Kellie Caenas, Sea Life Michigan curator.

She was thrilled to send Lauren Marcon to the Caribbean to help the brain coral, as they're called, step up its dwindling population.

"It's also important to fisheries and fish management. Those are for huge resources there. They all live there and when you see a reef that is dead or dying, the fish is gone and they can't use the space and the resources there so it's really important to protect them for the corals, the fish and the economy," she said.

While the issue of climate change is often charged with political fire, the folks at Sea Life says this is simple: Keeping the world clean, in every corner and every body of water just makes sense.  

"People understand that litter on the street is bad so we want to help build that knowledge up to a different level and protect our world and our ocean specifically," Caenas said.

Marcon was picked as part of a team of nine experts from around the country for this special conservation mission. They used a lab to fertilize thousands of coral and because of their work, the coral reef is stronger.  

The team just returned home. Two and a half weeks of hard work and a stronger planet because of it,

"They worked really hard but it really paid off and thousands of baby coral were planted out in the ocean," Caenas said.