Saturday January 18, the Tama no te Tairoto association is organizing the event “Connected by the Reef – Te firi a’au”, an unprecedented global observation of the spawning of Porites rus corals. 150 observers from 33 different countries are already mobilized but Polynesians are invited to participate.
After three years of studies, the Polynesian association Tama no te Tairoto (Children of the Lagoon) collected 426 observations on 18 different islands and proved that Porites rus reproduces on the same day from French Polynesia to the island of Reunion.
The objective of the “Connected by the Reef – Te firi a’au” project is to confirm whether this spawning also occurs in other countries. If so, “this may be the biggest synchronized reproduction event known in the animal kingdom” indicated Vetea Liao, marine biologist and member of the Tama no te tai roto association last August.
This is why more than 150 observers, from 33 countries around the world, have already registered and are preparing to participate in this great first, which will take place on Saturday January 18 and Sunday January 19 depending on the different time zones.
The association invites all Polynesians who live near a reef to participate. Volunteers will also be able to check the timing of coral spawning.
In Polynesia, it will take place around 7 a.m. Saturday January 18.
To be ready beforehand, you must first find an observation site with as many colonies of Porites rus or large colonies as possible. Colonies can be found between 1 meter deep near the coastline up to 40 meters deep.
To confirm that it is indeed the right species before laying, it is possible to send photos by email to the association ([email protected]), then record the position of the colonies on iNaturalist.
- Get in the water at least 15 minutes before the predicted time and monitor several colonies at the same time.
- When you see the 1st colony emitting a slight white veil, note the exact time. The phenomenon will intensify and other colonies will begin to release seeds
- Check the laying of female colonies which generally starts 20 minutes after the first laying of males.
- Record a new Porites rus spawning observation by indicating the site, date, time, depth, weather and number of people present with you on the Tama no te Tairoto app.
From 8 a.m. and until 5:30 p.m., the association will also welcome the public to the Fare Pote’e Honu of the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort & Spa hotel, in partnership with the Te mana o te moana association and the support of the ‘Ifrecor Polynesia.
The results of observations around the world will be revealed live.
Visitors will also be able to interact throughout the day with the association’s teams and discover the participatory science actions carried out to protect and enhance marine ecosystems. On site, a photo exhibition, immersive videos on the spawning of Porites rus corals, information posters on the coral and participatory science actions will be offered.
This global citizen action of participatory science organized by the Tama no te Tairoto association highlights the astonishing capacities of our coral reefs and the urgency of preserving them, at a time when the UN and the scientific community are warning of the risk of complete disappearance of corals around the world within 10 to 50 years, if nothing is done to slow down the rate of climate change.
Although coral reefs cover less than 1% of the oceans, they are home to nearly a quarter of known marine biodiversity. More than 500 million people worldwide depend on reefs for their livelihoodstheir food and their protection against extreme climatic events.
Labeled “Event of the United Nations Decade for Ocean Sciences”, this event hosted by French Polynesia and winner of the Grand Prix of the TO’A Reef Trophies 2024 from IFRECOR Polynesia, is supported by the National Committee of the Initiative for Coral Reefs (Ifrecor) and the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI).
Part of the perspective of the 3rd United Nations Conference on the Ocean (UNOC3), in Nice, in June 2025, Polynesia is strongly mobilized to highlight the strength of its model of preservation and development of the Ocean, through a series of events and actions throughout the year, as part of the Year of the “Common Sea”.
Find all the detailed information on the event and the observation stages on the Tama no te Tairoto website: https://tamanotetairoto.org/project/connected-by-the-reef-te-firi-aau/.
Related News :