Beautiful, but deadly to corals … a cushion starfish
Fish Lab, Aquaria, and Marine Life in the Maldives
PLANKTON PRODUCTION
Our plankton and algae cultures are used as the main food source for the residents of our Fish Lab.
– Microalgae (Nannochloropsis) – Overall, 400L of algae were produced throughout the month.
– Microalgae (Spirulina platensis) – new this month, Spirulina was introduced into our Fish Lab on 17 March. Since then, the culture has been monitored to follow its growth and general condition. The culture is currently being maintained using the Spirulina Grow Co kit, which provides a simple and controlled system for its development during this initial stage.
– Rotifers – Rotifer cultures remained stable throughout the month, with no major changes in density or feeding routine compared to previous months. As population density was constant, food quantity per session has been kept to 2mL of Nannochloropsis sp. microalgae, given 3 times a day.
– Brine shrimp (Artemia) – Using the same protocol as last month, two separate batches were raised daily: (1) for feeding our Lab jellyfish, shrimps and fish; (2) for feeding our coral polyps settled from the spawning collection. Coral feeding was maintained at 3g per day, while fish and jellyfish systems received 1.5 g per day.
FISH LAB BREEDING PROGRAMMES
- Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) – populations remain healthy.
- Clark’s anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) – our breeding pairs remain healthy. [Lifecycle graphic]
- Groupers (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) – new last month, we have stats for our dedicated grouper seapen (as well as our land tanks).
– Land Tanks – our tank-to-table initiative is going well, with 30 groupers harvested and supplied to the resort’s restaurants. This month we recorded low mortality, closing with 440 individuals. Growth continues to follow a clear size progression, with average weights of: ~750g/500g/300g across our tanks, reflecting the stable and well-managed separation of size classes.
AQUACULTURE – ‘SEAWEED’ AS A SUSTAINABLE FOOD
- Elkhorn Sea Moss (Kappaphycus alvarezii) – steady growth during March, increasing from 151g to 340g wet weight over the month (a ~125% increase in biomass). We divided the moss into their greenish and dark brown morphotypes, as different colour forms vary in pigment and carrageenan properties, giving subtle variations in texture and characteristics for presentation in the Resort’s restaurants. Brown, green and red tetrasporophytic strains are being monitored in separate trays.
- Sea Grapes (Caulerpa racemosa) – March was the strongest month so far for sea grape production, with 1,600g harvested and supplied to the resort’s restaurants. This represents a 60% increase compared to the previous month, reflecting improved culture performance and more consistent availability, confirming that our current setup is well suited for this species. To support this increase, the system was reorganised into 25 trays, improving water flow and harvesting efficiency. To improve quality, we are experimenting with shaded areas to reduce light exposure, and limiting epiphytes and herbivory in the culture system.
- Crunchy Hair Grass (Boodlea sp.) – new this month, we isolated some Boodlea sp. that we spotted growing within the system. Boodlea is a genus of green macroalgae (Chlorophyta) commonly found in tropical reef environments, where it forms dense, filamentous and sponge-like structures. This species is characterised by fine, highly-branched filaments that create a compact structure and a naturally firm, slightly crisp texture. Its morphology and texture make it particularly interesting for culinary use, especially in preparations where structure and mouthfeel are important. The resort’s restaurants have already served up several dishes, including a seaweed-based sauce and crispy seaweed rolls.
Guest Excursions
At Landaa Giraavaru, we conducted 11 guided tours of our Marine Discovery Centre for a total of 21 guests. Our guided snorkel excursions were enjoyed by 137 guests. Across 9 separate Dolphin Cruises for 37 guests, we recorded sightings of 2 bottlenose dolphins and 307 (+150) Spinners.
At Kuda Huraa this month, a total of 222 guests enjoyed 38 different excursions to 7 different sites in the area, where we recorded 10 different megafauna species.
Junior Marine Savers
We held 4 Junior Marine Saver activities this month. With enthusiastic young minds eager to learn more about our Ocean ecosystems, it was filled with talks of turtles, dolphins, corals and how they can act to help. For the turtle specialty, the kids get to feed our patients in the Rehabilitation Centre. With the coral specialty, they have the chance to learn about the importance of the reef before building their own coral frame. This all precedes the snorkel portion of the morning, which was full of fish, coral, sharks and smiles! It is always a pleasure teaching the next generation not only how impressive our natural world is, but how imperative it is that we protect it. Now they can go off and tell their peers to respect our planet, making this world a little bit of a better place each time!
Snowflake Spotlight
Leucism is a genetic mutation that affects an animal’s ability to produce melanin properly, leaving them much lighter in colour than their relatives. This mutation has been apparent in cetaceans, including some of the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) individuals found here at Kuda Huraa. The first recorded case was with SL076 ‘Snow’ (photo below), and the second has been with the charismatic ‘Snowflake’. Although Snowflake is lacking notches to properly ID and catalogue in the database, our team of biologists gets to see this familiar face more often than not. Each dolphin cruise is a chance to collect not only photographic but behavioural data on these cetaceans, and lately Snowflake has been showing signs of mating attempts. Whether Snow paved the way for Snowflake to feel more comfortable with being different than him is unclear, but we will continue our observations and watch this young dolphin grow.
Maldives Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation
This month, we released Kottu back into the ocean with a satellite tag ! Check out her her page for the full story, and to follow her journey as she swims freely around the Indian Ocean.
On 8 March, we performed an excavation of the turtle nest on the beach outside Villa #201. It was confirmed that the nest belonged to an Olive Ridley turtle, which was different from what we had initially thought. One hatchling was found in the nest and was taken for a health check (sadly, it died overnight). Out of the 95 total eggs found in the nest, 5 empty shells were recorded, resulting in a hatching success rate of just 5%. This very low percentage could be due to high tides, which may have caused flooding of the nest.
![Turtle released with satellite tag Maldives KOTTU [LG 2026.03] [800]](https://marinesavers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Turtle-released-with-satellite-tag-Maldives-KOTTU-LG-2026.03-800.jpg)
REEFSCAPERS Coral Propagation & Reef Restoration in the Maldives
To see the progress of your own frame, please visit our dedicated Reefscapers Four Seasons monitoring page where we upload new photos every 6 months or so.
At Landaa Giraavaru during March, we transplanted 18 new coral frame orders (15 small, 2 heart, 1 large) kindly sponsored by guests, the Resort, and online, adding a total of 762 newly propagated coral fragments to the reef. We also monitored 167 existing frames, mainly at the Seawall and House Reef Dive Sites, and sent photo updates to our kind sponsors.
Bissie’s Reef holds a special place in our restoration programme at Landaa. The reef is named in memory of Bissie, a young girl whose family has generously sponsored the project since its inception. Each year, the family contributes towards new frames to add to the reef, ensuring that Bissie’s legacy continues to grow alongside the coral. It is a deeply personal and meaningful project for everyone involved, and we are grateful to the family for their continued support. This month, we performed maintenance tasks on the reef, and lifted some frames up from the sandy substrate.
At Kuda Huraa this month, we transplanted 8 new frames, kindly sponsored by guests and the Resort, and our team monitored (cleaned, repaired, photographed) a total of 70 existing coral frames at all sites around the island. Much of our focus was on the beach-accessible restoration sites and planting new coral frames. We monitored and maintained frames at The Channel, The Water Villas and The Blue Hole. A genuine highlight of the month was observing Galaxea fascicularis spawning – the first time this has been recorded at Kuda Huraa!
We added the Kids’ Club Frame, an Earth-Hour frame, and six guest-sponsored frames to our Pyramid site on House Reef. These frames totalled 319 new coral fragments (species of Acropora and Pocillopora) and were carefully placed on the Pyramids site of our House Reef. With ocean temperatures rising during this season, we positioned the new frames at depths greater than 6 metres to give them the best chance of survival, and we will continue this deeper outplanting strategy throughout the hottest months until sea surface temperatures decrease again.
Across both centres, we monitored for signs of coral spawning around the full moon periods after sunset, and we also commenced our seasonal monitoring for signs of paling and bleaching in our corals.
Further News & Updates
You might also be interested in our specialised Sea Turtle Lagoon Enclosure, and our Dolphin Diaries & ID Project.
Looking for details of our Reefscapers coral propagation and reef restoration program ? Then head over to our Four Seasons Team Diaries at Reefscapers.
You can sponsor your own frame and see photographs (updated every 6 months) in our Coral Frame Collection at Reefscapers.
Junior Marine Savers activities: (1) Reefscapers corals, (2) turtle care.
