The Coral Restoration Foundation is awaiting regulatory approval to shift vulnerable colonies to deeper, cooler water off Elbow Key. —NOAA raised its bleaching alert for parts of the Florida Reef Tract in mid-July, weeks earlier than the historical pattern. Their analysis found habitat suitable for tropical reef corals has contracted by roughly 43 percent. Half of all federally managed U.S. fisheries depend on coral reef habitat. “Every extreme heat event provides an opportunity to improve our understanding of coral resistance and resilience,” said Dr. Jason Spadaro, who manages Mote’s Coral Reef Restoration Research Program.