Inhumane humans blamed for unhealthy U.S. coral reefs

William Atkins
Wednesday, 09 July 2008 02:15

Science - Climate

The results of the NOAA study was published in the 15-chaper (569 pages) NOAA report.

In all, coral reef systems were studied in areas under U.S. jurisdiction. They included: the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Navassa Island, southeast Florida, the Florida Keys, Flower Garden Banks, the Main Hawaiian Islands, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, American Samoa, the Pacific Remote Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and the Republic of Palau.

Based on this report, officials with NOAA state that the problem seen with coral reefs around the United States—in a condition of poor-to-fair health—is primarily the result of human activities.

Specifically, the report tells that the coral reefs located closer to cities are in worst shape than the ones further away from such populated areas.

Generally, the coral reefs were found to be suffering due to litter and trash, coastal development, overfishing/illegal fishing, climate-related effects (such as disease, ocean acidification, and coral bleaching), sedimentation, recreational use, and pollution.

Timothy Keeney, co-chairperson of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force and a member of NOAA, stated, “Human impacts are making the big difference. Humans are the most invasive species of all."

According to the USA Today article “'Invasive' humans threaten U.S. coral reefs,” some of the major findings of the NOAA study are (1) “Caribbean reefs were blasted in 2005 by hurricanes, disease and bleaching that killed 90% of all corals in some locations. Bleaching is a loss of color often attributed in part to global warming” and (2) “Seafood species numbers are in poor condition at both Caribbean and Pacific reefs.”

In the same USA Today article Jenny Waddell, a NOAA marine biologist states, "Coral reefs are beautiful, but they are also tremendous economic resources.” She went on to state, as paraphrased in the article, that “Healthy reefs benefit tourism, fisheries and serve as coastal storm breaks.”

In addition, Keeney, also the deputy secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, states, "The report shows that this is a global issue. While the report indicates reefs in general are healthier in the Pacific than the Atlantic, even remote reefs are subject to threats stemming from climate change, as well as illegal fishing and marine debris."

The conclusion of the NOAA report states that the conditions of U.S. coral reefs have been declining for several decades. The NOAA article expressly reports, “As an indicator of this decline, since the last status report was released in 2005, two coral species — Elkhorn and Staghorn corals — have become the first corals ever listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.”