The State of the Reefs - An Overview

(facts about coral) Coral has a symbiotic relationship between small soft-bodied polyps and algae called zooxanthellae. The polyps get together to form a colony and the colonies join to become a reef. Coral Reefs are known as the rainforests of the sea. Coral reefs are home to six of the seven types of sea turtles in the world. _______________________________________________________________________ _

Over one million species of plants and animals are a part of the reef ecosystem.
Reefs contain one quarter of all marine life on earth. They are home to over 4000 species of fish. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living organism on the entire planet! The most well known coral reef in the world is the Great Barrier Reef. It is over 1429 miles long and is visible from space. It contains over 400 species of coral, 2000 species of fish, and 4000 species of mollusk. Any of the individual reefs that you might select from the great barrier reef, has more species of coral on it than in the entire Atlantic Ocean! This makes it a world biodiversity hotspot. Not to mention that its visible from space! If you broke down the percent of different species in the reef: fish 43% mollusks 54% whales 1% bird 2% _______________________________________________________________________ _

Coral offers benefits to humans

advances to modern medicine 20,000 new biochemical substances from marine life Coral Reefs have been instrumental in breakthroughs for researching cardiovascular disease, ulcers, leukemia, and skin cancer.

fishing as a way of lifez $375,000,000,000 made from the fishing industry The Coral reefs are one of the most bountiful fishing sources in the world. Because they are a haven for so many different species of fish, fishermen depend on this natural resource to feed their families and make their living. protection of coastal regions $10,000,000 per kilometer to build a retaining wall. In the Maldives, much of the coral was destroyed. The islands then had to invest in a ten million dollar per kilometer wall to protect from high waves and hurricanes. But humans and our activities are actually the largest threat to the existence of coral. Global warming is causing ocean temperatures to rise. Reefs Thrive in waters between 73.4 and 84.2 degrees. If the water temperature rises as much as one degree the algae will desert the coral, causing it to lose its color. This is known as coral bleaching. If a coral is without its algae for an extended period of time, the coral will die and cannot grow back. _______________________________________________________________________ _

At the Present Rate of Destruction, 70% of coral reefs may be gone in less than forty years.
10% of the world's coral is damaged irreparably. There are so many threats to these living organisms but some of the most damaging acts are sadly, also the most preventable. Destructive fishing practices and over-fishing cause massive damage to the reef's ecosystem. Over-fishing disrupts the natural balance of the food chain which leads more animals leaving to find other food sources and break the symbiosis. More than 15 countries engage in devastating cyanide fishing. This practice of dumping cyanide in the water to stun the fish causes damage to the delicate waters of the reef. Some fishermen also engage in blast fishing. The blasts obviously are very disruptive to the coral causing it to break and bleach. Do people even care what happens? survey: how much do you personally worry about global warming? (See data) What are the causes of the damage Ocean Acidification Coral Bleaching Carbon Dioxide Sedimentation

 Coastal Development Predators Careless Tourism Destructive Fishing Practices Ozone Depletion Coral Mining _______________________________________________________________________ _

What is Being done to stop the destruction? Domestic Coral Reef Conservation Grants
Through a competitive process of grant solicitation, individual's proposals are selected based on how well their objectives match up with NOAA's partnership proposals for conservation efforts. There are many conservation groups trying to rescue the reefs. Many reefs are being designated as protected areas and some places are making stricter fishing laws.