How marine adaptations of the coral protocol work
The same closed-loop lab, the same up-to-50-species panel, the same methodology, adapted to marine and industrial use cases through the test article, the concentration range, and the reporting frame.
Reviewed by Vincent Bourgeteau, President
Vincent Bourgeteau is a biologist and President of ReefTox (EcoSeaStems SAS), a closed-loop coral ecotoxicology laboratory in Brittany, France.
The posture
Coral as a complementary species, not a replacement.
The standard marine ecotox panel, acute and chronic on invertebrates, algae, and fish, never had a representative coral test, because no validated guideline existed and no lab combined live coral husbandry with marine ecotox methods under one roof. ReefTox does both. We add the missing species to the program you already run.
A multi-laboratory pre-validation of an acute coral method is underway, 13 labs in 6 European countries (Bao et al. 2024, Toxics 12(1):1). Acute results were presented at an international suncare conference in April 2026 and SETAC Europe in May 2026.
Three things that adapt per use case
01
The test article
A biocide, an effluent, a discharge stream, not a cosmetic formulation. Antifouling paint leachate, treated ballast water, scrubber wash water, drilling-fluid material, cruise discharge.
02
The concentration range
Calibrated to realistic marine exposure for the use case, discharge concentrations at the outfall, leachate concentrations from a coated hull, treated-water concentrations meeting D-2 performance.
03
The endpoint frame
EC50 / LOEC / NOEC (acute) and EC10 / EC50 / chronic PNEC, the conservative reference value regulatory dossiers cite for sustained discharge or product use.
What stays the same
Closed-loop coral husbandry
Mother colonies, cuttings, testing, assessment, all in Brittany. No wild sampling. The acute turnaround stays at 2 to 3 weeks.
Up to 50 species across 30 genera
Hard SPS, hard LPS, and soft corals from Indo-Pacific, Caribbean, and Mediterranean reef ecosystems.
Acute (96h)
The 96-hour acute window for live-coral exposure, which captures the response that shorter 72-hour tests miss.
Chronic (3 months + 1 month recovery)
Three months spans three lunar cycles, the minimum for biologically meaningful chronic results. Plus the recovery window that confirms whether coral tissue resumes normal function once exposure ends.
Measured parameters
Bleaching (computer-assisted), tissue loss, mortality, morphological and behavioural anomalies, before / after photography.
Quality controls
Fresh coral fragments per test. Annual positive controls. Every endpoint quantifiable and auditable.
Reporting tuned per dossier framework
The same coral data, framed for the dossier reviewer who's asking for it.
EU BPR PT21
Antifouling biocide review cycle. Copper actives expire 30 June 2028. Chronic PNEC on leachate. Antifouling segment →
IMO BWMS Code D-2 + US VIDA
Ballast-water type approval. USCG implementing regulations due October 2026. Ballast water segment →
OSPAR scrubber decision + MARPOL Annex VI
Open-loop ban 1 July 2027. Closed-loop ban 1 January 2029. Chronic PNEC on wash water. Scrubber wash water segment →
Offshore platform permits
Permit conditions vary by jurisdiction. Coral data for the reef-adjacent question. Drilling fluids segment →
VGP / VIDA + MARPOL Annex IV/VI + EU ETS maritime
Cruise on-board and on-shore discharges, reef-adjacent itineraries, EU-touching voyages. Cruise ships segment →
What marine engagements are not
Not the cosmetics pre-evaluation
The free predictive pre-evaluation (six pillars + ICP-OES + Hawaii / US Virgin Islands screening) is built for cosmetic formulations. Its pillars and compliance screen don't map to antifouling biocides, ballast effluents, scrubber wash water, drilling fluids, or cruise discharges. Marine scoping starts with a call, not a free score.
A complement, not a replacement
We add coral as a complementary species. The standard marine ecotox panel, invertebrates, algae, fish, stays with whoever runs it today. We slot in, we do not displace.
Scope your program with us.
Every marine engagement starts with a scoping call. We map your dossier framework to the coral protocol and the endpoints that defend it.
