KRALENDIJK – On Thursday, 5 June, RoffaReefs and Diergaarde Blijdorp launched the international platform eggspedition.org. The platform collects images of fish eggs to gather more information about fish reproduction, coral reefs, and the health of our oceans. World Wildlife Fund (WWF-NL) has been involved in the project from the very beginning and underlines the urgency of collaboration to safeguard the future of fish populations and coral reefs.
RoffaReefs began five years ago at the Oceanium of Diergaarde Blijdorp and has since grown into a serious player in the field of nature restoration. The organisation is dedicated to preserving coral by raising juvenile fish that help maintain the reefs. The method, which has proven successful on Bonaire, celebrates its fifth anniversary this year and is part of Diergaarde Blijdorp. On the website eggspedition.org, scientists, divers, snorkellers, fishers, and research institutes from around the world can add and collect data on fish reproduction.
Thanks to the platform, scientists gain a clearer picture of fish populations and numbers, while fishers, divers, and researchers can discover the ocean in a whole new way. "Coral reefs have been declining for years. Coral is a living organism that depends on the fish that maintain it. Decades of overfishing, climate change, and pollution have left too few fish in many parts of the world to sustain and allow the reefs to flourish. This has serious consequences", says RoffaReefs founder Sander van Lopik.
From egg to coral reef
Approximately 80% of all fish in the ocean reproduce pelagically. This means that their eggs, often no larger than half a millimetre. drift along with ocean currents from the moment of fertilisation. RoffaReefs focuses on finding these eggs, documenting them, raising them, and subsequently placing them near coral reefs. Thanks to this method, juvenile fish, and the corals they help maintain, have a better chance of survival.
"With eggspedition.org we document all of this very carefully. Whether you dive, fish, or are a scientist: you can add your own observations and contribute to an ocean that is full of life again", says Van Lopik proudly.
Collaboration with WWF-NL
WWF-NL has been a partner from the very start and works alongside RoffaReefs on the restoration of coral reefs and fish populations worldwide. "What makes this platform so powerful is that it brings together knowledge from different users and makes the information directly applicable to nature restoration. A better understanding of where and when fish reproduce is essential to work directly on restoring the entire ecosystem, keeping coral reefs healthy and resilient", says Arjan de Groene, Caribbean expert at WWF-NL.
Everyone can participate: via eggspedition.org it is possible to submit observations, whether you are a hobby diver or a professional researcher. This way, the database grows step by step, and with it, the chance of coral reef recovery worldwide.
