The same sad news story

[Len]

We've all heard this before, but it popped up on the AP news feed again today:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/10 ... index.html

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) -- Researchers fear more than half the world's coral reefs could die in less than 25 years and say global warming may at least partly to blame.

Sea temperatures are rising, weakening the reefs' resistance to increased pollutants, such as runoff from construction sites and toxins from boat paints. The fragile reefs are hosts to countless marine plants and animals.

"Think of it as a high school chemistry class," said Billy Causey, the Caribbean and Gulf Mexico director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"You mix some chemicals together and nothing happens. You crank up the Bunsen burner and all of a sudden things start bubbling around. That's what's happening. That global Bunsen burner is cranking up."

Causey was one of some 200 private and government researchers from the Caribbean, Florida and U.S. Pacific islands who gathered in St. Thomas for a meeting of the NOAA's U.S. Coral Reef Task Force.

Last year's coral loss in the Caribbean waters supports predictions that 60 percent of the world's coral could die within a quarter century, said Tyler Smith of the University of the Virgin Islands.

"Given current rates of degradation of reef habitats, this is a plausible prediction," Smith said.

More than 47 percent of the coral in underwater study sites covering 31 acres around the U.S. Virgin Islands died after sea temperatures exceeded the norm for three months in 2005, said Jeff Miller, a scientist with the Virgin Islands National Park.

The unusual warm water can stress coral, causing it to lose its pigment and making it more vulnerable to disease.

This year, Caribbean coral narrowly avoided another widespread episode of bleaching when sea temperatures briefly surpassed levels considered healthy for reefs.

Up to 30 percent of the world's coral reefs have died in the last 50 years, and another 30 percent are severely damaged, said Smith, who studies coral health in the U.S. Virgin Islands and collaborates with researchers globally.

"U.S. Virgin Islands coral today is likely at its lowest levels in recorded history," Smith said.

The researchers said global warming was a potential cause of the abnormally high sea temperatures but was not the only suspect in the reefs' demise.

What causes disease in coral can be hard to pinpoint and could be a combination of things. Other threats include silt runoff from construction sites, which prevents the coral from getting enough sunlight, and a record increase in fleshy, green algae, which competes with coral for sunlight.

"Climate change is an important factor that is influencing coral reefs worldwide," said Mark Eakin, director of NOAA's Coral Reef Watch. "It adds to the other problems that we are having."

 

[dnorton1978]

That is a sad reality. I hope my kids get to see the true beauty of the ocean when they are my age.

 

[trido]

We all talk about it but I wonder how many people really comprehend the magnitude of it. My stepdaughter (21) was talking about it and almost went into shock when I explained how the worldwide farming, fishing, etc... was going to change and not likely for the better. I try not to think about it because it is soo depressing. We truely are parasites of the earth.

 

[Ben1]

Ahh Tridos finally someone who agrees with me. I had a fight with my now ex wife after saying the same thing, that humans are parasites on the earth and we will abuse it at a constantly increasing rate as the population continues to grow.

Anyway its sad but true. Before you know it corals will be something hardly seen on a real reef.

 

[Anonymous]

Another good reason to share frags with others to help insure surviviability of each species.

It is sad to think that corals may only exist in aquariums one day.

Louey

 

[Ben1]

So does everyone think the reef hobby helps or hurts the reefs in an overall?

Seems it can go both ways with the obvious con, but many pros like frag trading, educating the general public, close up examination. I know when I dive I cant get nearly the same look as I can when I have unlimited time to look at one coral.

I hope to have my son diving with me in 6 years so hope the reefs in the BVI are still decent since thats where I dive normally. Just the tourist renting sailboats and anchoring on the reef in front of the house has killed most of the reef. I pull anchors that people got stuck on the reef, after draggin across a large area, all the time. I watched a A. Palmata grow on the reef for many years, atleast 7. Two years back it was hit by a boat or anchor and smashed up a bit. I pulled big 18" branchs off the sand and placed them in the reef, next time I was there I saw they had encrusted and were growning. Then last trip I was there and it was all dead white including the mother colony. There was recent construction on the hill side and they let all the mud run down in the bay right over the reef crest where this pretty shallow coral was. I believe it died from that but who knows. People generally just dont think of the reefs enough....

I would like to go out in the bay with a bunch of divers some day and collect al the trash people throw overboat and put it up on the pristine beachs and make them live with there scum......

Sorry just venting....

 

[pwj1286]

Good venting Ben. Great story. You are a service to the reefs.
_________________
Mercedes 300 SLR

 

[aquarius77]

I watched a A. Palmata grow on the reef for many years, atleast 7. Two years back it was hit by a boat or anchor and smashed up a bit. I pulled big 18" branchs off the sand and placed them in the reef, next time I was there I saw they had encrusted and were growning.

Very cool story and awesome effort on your part!

This thread makes me want a bigger tank, I dont know how that helps or hurts the situation at hand but who knows things may become more scarce and hard to get as time goes on with this trend.

 

[Anonymous]

So does everyone think the reef hobby helps or hurts the reefs in an overall?

Seems it can go both ways with the obvious con, but many pros like frag trading, educating the general public, close up examination. I know when I dive I cant get nearly the same look as I can when I have unlimited time to look at one coral. ....

There's no question, and no fooling ourselves: the reef aquarium hobby absolutely hurts the reefs. Minimally, compared to every other pressure they face, but a positive impact it does not have. Frag trading? If there were no hobbyists, there would be no need. Educating the general public? That's what public aquariums and the discovery channel are for - and they can get just as good a look at the corals that way as in our tanks.

IMO, the only redeeming feature of the reef aquarium hobby are the in situ mariculture operations that have sprung up to service it. The mix of conservation and monetary incentive that the local farmers operate with now may yet be our only saving grace.

No one kid yourselves. This is a hobby for our personal enjoyment. These days, and for years now, it's been possible to have a fully stocked tank of aquacultured & maricultured organisms. Fish, coral, even live rock - you just have to accept a more limited selection and higher prices. Yet how many of us actually do? How many zero impact tanks are there, really?

 

[stubbsz]

and I contribute to global warming by breathing but I don't think I'll feel to guilty about it.

 

[Anonymous]

They need to change their "doomsday" report. 5 years ago they gave us 25 years

Not that I'm saying it's wrong, Billy Causey knows his stuff and I for one trust his opinion.

 

[Anonymous]

They need to change their "doomsday" report. 5 years ago they gave us 25 years

Not that I'm saying it's wrong, Billy Causey knows his stuff and I for one trust his opinion.

Oh you wait.. next trend will be global cooling, especially with the winter we aren't supposed to have.

 

[blackcloudmedia]

I personally think the ocean goes through cycles. We may be just seeing part of the cycle. What we have to make sure is not to try and fix the cycle, that would never work. We all know that a bigger tank stays stable better, so what about natures tank that is 70 percent of the worlds surface?? Im pretty sure it can take care of itself. But heres an idea...those caught anchoring on the reef can be shot without warning....at least it sounds fun.

 

[Len]

wings, I suspect you live on the east coast. You're expected to have a cooler winter this year due to El Nino. It's got nothing to do with long term global warming trends. Deducing global trends from local weather from one season is not very logical

 

[bleedingthought]

They need to change their "doomsday" report. 5 years ago they gave us 25 years

Not that I'm saying it's wrong, Billy Causey knows his stuff and I for one trust his opinion.

Oh you wait.. next trend will be global cooling, especially with the winter we aren't supposed to have.

Huh?

 

[Len]

There's no scientific doubt that the ocean (or the world) goes through cycles, but there's also no scientific evidence that our oceans have ever experienced changes so dramatic in such quick fashion as what it's experienced in the last century. On record, the oceans are MUCH warmer these days and have MUCH less life due to habitat changes, overfishing. Anecdotally, all you need to do is ask any person who's livelihood is based on ocean activity and they'll all bare witness to how much the oceans have changed in their lifetime. I have no doubt in my mind that human activity has contributed much to these alarmingly big changes.