The 'Reef Doctor' retiring after 50 years

BY CAMMY CLARK
THE MIAMI HERALD

MIAMI - Harold Hudson has logged more time underwater than many fish. Most of those thousands of hours in diving gear have been at the world's reefs, conducting groundbreaking research.

But the 71-year-old biologist is best known for his pioneering work in reef restoration: repairing corals damaged by grounded ships, careless tourists, global warming, marine pollution and nature's wrath.

"The one thing Harold used to say to me, in his crackly voice: 'Well, Billy, I can build that reef back better than God made it,'�" said Billy Causey, a regional director of the National Marine Sanctuary program.

This summer, Hudson - the man known worldwide as the Reef Doctor - is retiring after 50 years of federal service.

story continued