A trial aimed at helping restore Western Australia’s coral reefs is underway, but Cyclone Narelle threatens to disrupt months of preparation and work, according to multiple reports. The project involves collecting and handling millions of coral eggs and embryos during two separate spawning events. One spawning event takes place near Exmouth and the other near Coral Bay. The effort is designed as a state-first approach to support reef recovery after a mass bleaching event. By capturing reproductive material during spawning, researchers can grow and manage coral early life stages for later reef restoration activities, following the damage caused by the bleaching event. While the reports focus on the cyclone’s potential to interfere with the trial schedule and field operations, they do not describe a complete halt or a definitive outcome. Instead, they present cyclone risk as a major uncertainty for the ongoing work, given the reliance on precise timing around spawning and on-safe conditions to conduct collection and handling at sea and on shore.