Spawning pillar coral at the DoE nursery (photo credit: Georgina Healey)(CNS): Last weekend, Department of Environment researchers witnessed the first recorded spawning of critically endangered pillar coral in the Cayman Islands while they were monitoring for spawning activity at the department’s coral nursery. According to a DoE social media post, so little is known about the spawning behaviour of this particular coral species that the team didn’t know what to expect. As well as being listed as a critically endangered species, pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus) is highly susceptible to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, and much of it has been lost to SCTLD and bleaching events over the past few years, the DoE said. The DoE nursery is home to pillar corals from both Grand Cayman and the Sister Islands, and spawning activity was observed from both male and female colonies. The timing of spawning activity for this coral species was previously unknown, which makes this event even more significant, as these observations lay a strong foundation for future research and conservation efforts, the DoE said.