About Us

The Coral Nursery at The Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) is a collaborative space where science, restoration, and community intersect. Managed by the ToBo Lab, the HIMB Coral Nursery exsists as a research hub for the University of Hawai'i and our collaborators looking to study Hawaiian reefs. Today the Nursery exists as a series of midwater, floating platforms that support thousands of live coral colonies, some of which have lived in the nursery for almost a decade. For more about how the nursery functions, visit our facilities page to read more about the space and equipment.

History

The HIMB Coral Nursery began as an effort to recover corals of opportunity growing on 25 year-old decommissioned fish pens at HIMB lead by Drs. Zac Forsman and Ingrid Knapp in 2017.

After success of the initial pilot, the nursery expanded significantly with new docks in 2025 to its current status. For more HIMB Coral Nursery history, visit Zac Forsman's original HIMB Coral Nursery website

The HIMB Coral Nursery serves 3 main functions today

1. Coral Stock and Storage: We provide storage opportunities for corals of opportunity which can then be used for future research and outplanting.
2. Experimental Space: Scientists and students can deploy their experiments in the Coral Nursery adjacent to a live reef without disturbing the natural environment or the need for field permits.
3. Outreach: We frequently host tours, summer intensive programs, and internships to educate our local community, visitors, and the next generation of marine scientists.

Support & Funding

Our work is made possible by the following partners and funders:

• The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI)
• The Seaver Institute
• NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program
• Takeshi Tomo Trust