Restoration Tools

However, the propagation process typically relies on "plug" substrates designed for ornamental aquariums, which creates several problems. First, the plugs get separated easily and without careful and tedious labeling, can be confused. This is also problematic when outplanting, as trays of coral plugs can be lost in transit or when outplanting due to waves or surge. These plugs also have stems because they are intended for transplanting the coral onto synthetic displays in ornamental aquariums that have matching holes for retention. In the natural environment, those stems creates additional work, as divers need to either drill holes for placing the plugs, or grind off the stems prior to outplanting and using cement to affix it to the reef. Regardless, each plug must be handled individually during the nursery, transit, and outplanting processes, which creates an inherent limit to scaling efficiency at higher volumes.

In other production contexts, batch handling is commonly applied to make processing and delivery of goods most efficient. In restoration, applying this philosophy and considering the end goal of planting fragments in close proximity to other fragments of the same donor lead to the design of a biodegradable "mesh" or "net" of plugs that would keep fragments together throughout the propagation process but still conform during outplanting to match the natural reefs topography and minimize the time to fusion both with neighboring fragments and the reef.