Marine Science

Resources

Coral Reefs

Survival of an Ocean Species

A steady decline in healthy coral reefs has seen the number of fish species drop in the last twenty five years. We explore some of the causes and look closely at one species to see how it has adapted for survival. By Arcturus Productions.

Showing you a world seldom seen before.

In this video you can see pictures of the Bonaire Banded Box Jelly Fish we took.

25 ways to prevent Coral Bleaching

1. Support reef-friendly businesses. Ask what your dive shop, boating store, tour operators, hotel and other coastal businesses are doing to save the coral reefs. This is especially important in coastal areas with reefs. Let them know you are an informed consumer and care about reefs.

2. Don't use chemically enhanced pesticides and fertilizers. Although you may live thousands of miles from a coral reef ecosystem, these products end up in the watershed and may ultimately impact the waters that support coral.

3. Volunteer for a reef cleanup. You don't live near a coral reef? Then do what many people do with their vacation: visit a coral reef. Spend an afternoon enjoying the beauty of one of the world's treasures while helping to preserve it for future generations.

4. Learn more about coral reefs. How many different species live in reefs? What new medicines have been discovered in reef organisms. Participate in training or educational programmes that focus on reef ecology. When you further your own education, you can help others understand the fragility and value of the world's coral reefs.

5. Become a member of your local aquarium or zoo. Ask what they are doing and what your donation can do toward saving the world's coral reefs. The answer may pleasantly surprise you.

6. When you visit a coral reef, help keep it healthy by respecting all local guidelines, recommendations, regulations, and customs. Ask local authorities or your dive shop hot to protect the reef.

7. Support conservation organizations. Many of them have coral reef programmes, and your much-needed monetary support will make a big difference.

8. Spread the word. Remember your own excitement at learning how important the planet's coral reefs are to us and the intricate global ecosystem. Sharing this excitement gets everyone you speak with involved.

9. Be an informed consumer. Consider carefully the coral objects that you buy for your coffee table. Ask the store owner or manager from what country the coral is taken and whether or not that country has a management plan to insure that the harvest was legal and sustainable over time.

10. Don't pollute. Never put garbage or human waste in the water. Don't leave trash on the beach.

11. Recycle. This is the first step each of us can take to make a change. Recycle anything and everything. If your community doesn't have a programme, do it anyway, and get one started.

12. Conserve water. The less water you use, the less runoff and waste water that eventually finds its way back into our oceans.

13. Report dumping or other illegal activities. Environmental enforcement cannot be everywhere, and your involvement can make a big difference.

14. Keep it clean. You may be in the habit of picking up your own trash. You may even participate in an organized cleanup. But have you considered carrying away the trash that others have left behind?

15. Only buy marine aquarium fish if you know they have been collected in an ecologically sound manner. In some areas, marine fish harvested for the pet trade, are stunned with sodium cyanide so that capturing them is easier.

16. Surf the net! Many different addresses exist to link you to information about coral reefs and what you can do to become involved.

17. Don't start a live rock aquarium. Although this living rock is still harvested legally in some places, its collection is devastating to the reef organisms habitat.

18. Hire local guides when visiting coral reef ecosystems. Not only do you learn about the local resources, but you will be protecting the future of the reef by supporting a non-consumptive economy around that reef.

19. Don't anchor on the reef. If you go boating near a coral reef, use mooring buoy systems when they are available.

20. If you dive, don't touch! Take only pictures and leave only bubbles! Keep your fins, gear, and hands away from the coral, as this contact can hurt you and will damage the delicate coral animals. Stay off the bottom because stirred-up sediment can settle on coral and smother it.

21. Participate in a Fish Count. What better way to enjoy your vacation time than snorkelling or diving coral reefs and helping scientists better understand reef fish populations.

22. Volunteer. Volunteer and community coral reef monitoring programs are very important. If you do not live near a coast, get involved in your local save the river (bay, lake, or other estuarine environment) programme. Remember, all watersheds affect the oceans and eventually the coral reefs.

23. Support the creation and maintenance of marine parks and reserves. Encourage your friends to get involved with projects to protect special areas.

24. Be a wastewater crusader! Make sure that sewage from your boat, from others boats, and from land is correctly treated. The nutrients from sewage feed growing algae that can smother and kill corals.

25. Inform yourself. Find out about existing and proposed laws, programmes, and projects that could affect the world's coral reefs.

Coral Bleaching

The aim of this page is to create an awareness of coral bleaching and its disastrous effects. Included is a link that shows 25 way to prevent and combat coral bleaching. After diving around the world the impact of this rapidly developing hazard are blindingly obvious.

Coral bleaching occurs when reefs are stressed, usually by excessively warm water. When the coral goes into stress, it expels the algae living inside it. These algae, called zooxanthellae, enable the coral to turn light from the sun into energy and oxygen and they help provide the corals' colour. Prolonged bleaching events, like the one observed this year in the Pacific (circa 2000), have resulted in the death of 95 per cent or more of bleached corals in many parts of the world. Most corals that are completely bleached, eventually die after being invaded by green algae.

Coral Bleaching Resources

Coral Reef Alliance
Coral Reef Bleaching - Useful knowledge
Reef Relief - Is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to Preserving and Protecting Living Coral Reef Ecosystems through local, regional and global efforts.
The Reef Environmental Education Foundation - Uses volunteer divers to conduct its excellent Reef Fish Survey Project.

Coral bleaching is a problem that has been become increasingly evident. Coral bleaching has been shown to have an impact on the boating and undersea life. This problem has created environmental difficulties for the reefs, small and large boats, as well as the ecosystem. Hopefully, efforts to preserve and protect the coral reef will be successful.