Rachel Morgan

Coral Propagation Manager

Rachel Morgan is the coral propagation manager working to breed, rear and outplant many endangered and threatened species of Caribbean corals. Taking great pride in her work, one of her most rewarding achievements is her participation in the groundbreaking work done in The Florida Aquarium’s induced spawning lab – the site of the first induced and repeated spawn of endangered pillar coral, grooved brain coral, maze coral, knobby brain coral, symmetrical brain coral, boulder brain coral, spiny flower coral, smooth flower coral, mountainous star coral, ridged cactus coral and more. Her goal is that the work being done by the team at The Florida Aquarium will engineer better techniques to be used, not only in Florida, but also worldwide.

Growing up in Tampa, Rachel has always had a love for ocean and marine life. Following graduation from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY, she returned to her hometown to work at The Florida Aquarium to care for a variety of aquatic and avian species including syngnathids, elasmobranchs and pacific corals. In 2017, she jumped at an opportunity to work with corals in The Florida Aquarium’s newly formed coral conservation program, eagerly taking on a larger role in coral breeding efforts. Today, Rachel continues her education, pursuing her master’s degree in interdisciplinary ecology part-time from the University of Florida with Dr. Josh Patterson.

KEYWORDS: Coral Conservation, Coral Spawning, Coral Husbandry, Coral Propagation