Coral aquaculture is emerging as a reef restoration tool, with welfare implications for both cultured corals and the diverse animal communities that depend on them.
Coral aquaculture welfare involves the welfare of coral animals themselves — which have nervous systems capable of responding to stimuli — and the welfare of the diverse animal communities that depend on reef habitat. Coral propagation through fragmentation causes tissue stress but enables reef restoration that ultimately benefits millions of animals. The welfare calculus of reef restoration interventions is clearly positive when the alternative is continued degradation of animal habitat. Selective breeding for heat tolerance represents one of the most welfare-significant interventions available for marine animals at ecosystem scale, potentially preserving habitat for millions of species under climate change.