Episode: 14
Title: Coral at AQWA
Broadcast: 6th May 2018
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane

We are so lucky to live where we do, WA is home to some of the world’s great coral reef systems with Ningaloo our most famous, we have corals growing all the way down our coast including totally unique forms found around Rottnest and Garden Islands. Corals are beautiful, and everyone should have the chance to see them close up, but we are not all into diving beneath the surface for that experience, that's where Aquarium of WA (AQWA) is leading the way.

• When you visit AQWA to admire the aquariums unique West Australian marine creatures you may be forgiven for thinking the corals have been harvested from reef systems off our coast, the incredible thing is they haven’t, they have been grown right here at AQWA.
• You learn so much here, for instance coral is not a flora or plant as such, but a fauna, an animal. Each coral you see here is actually made up of hundreds even thousands of jellyfish-like animals called polyps that are incredibly agile mobile creatures. Polyps live together in a house that they build themselves. Living inside coral polyps are tiny plants that use sunlight to make energy and they live in a symbiotic relationship.
• Not many people know this, but coral reefs are just like cities. You get to explore this underwater city and if you watch carefully you’ll see the builders, chefs, rubbish collectors, gardeners, residents, demolition teams and even doctors! They are a whole ecosystem in their own right and vitally important part of a healthy ocean.
• The Program at AQWA is incredible, the Coral reef being grown here offers the unique chance to learn more about coral; to see the reef in this environment is safe and there are so many things you learn as you go.

W: www.aqwa.com.au
P: (08) 9447 7500