Ripe coral colonies ready to spawn – which is when they release egg and sperm bundles – are being collected from the Great Barrier Reef and brought into a laboratory at Heron Island where CSIRO scientists are eagerly waiting for the corals to release their eggs.
Coral spawning typically only occurs once a year in the days following the November full moon. They will be capturing millions of fertile eggs – each one the size of a pinhead – to aid their success in becoming new coral. This will help to develop techniques that will restore parts of the reef at a scale that could make a massive difference.
https://blog.csiro.au/lab-to-reef-coral-eggs-provide-new-life/