# NOAA restores deep-sea corals 16 years after oil spill

2026-08-13T13:46:08+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

Sixteen years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, scientists have placed lab-reared corals on the Gulf of Mexico seafloor. In a 2026 mission aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster, divers outplanted 26 mesophotic corals at a depth of 66 metres using a new device called the 'coral torpedo'. It was the first time scientists outplanted laboratory-grown corals from this depth. The team also reached 72.5 metres, collected samples, and mapped over 14 square nautical miles. NOAA Fisheries calls it a milestone in restoring habitats injured by the 2010 spill.

## Coverage

- timesofindia.indiatimes.com <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/in-2010-deepwater-horizon-damaged-deep-sea-coral-habitats-16-years-later-noaa-divers-are-planting-lab-grown-colonies-to-help-rebuild-them/articleshow/133206991.cms>

Tags: coral restoration, deep-sea ecology, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, NOAA, oil spill
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