Reef Ramblings

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) made several changes and clarifications to marine life management, defined as tropical ornamental species, at its September Commission meeting in Tampa on Wednesday, including a three-year ban on the collection of the giant Caribbean Sea anemone, Condylactis gigantea.

Photo Robin Hayes ©2012

The prohibition of the collection the giant Caribbean Sea anemone was at the request of the Florida Marine Life Association (FMLA), the organisation of collectors that supply fish and invertebrates to the aquarium industry, and has the aim of letting their dwindling population recover and rebuild. The FMLA said that the anemone has suffered a sharp decline in the past few years, possibly from excessive collecting and partly from the cold weather that blanketed southern Florida in 2010.

The ban takes effect on 1^st November. Up until now commercial divers have been able to take up to 200 anemones per trip, and recreational divers could take up to five per day but it has taken more effort for divers to reach these quotas over recent years. In the early 2000s Commercial divers noticed a decline in the number of anemones in the Middle and Upper Keys. Landings of the giant anemones dropped from 227,238 in 1994 to 28,656 in 2011.

The FWC will return to the issue within three years with a proposal for future management of this species.

Management is important given the central role of Condylactis gigantea in the local ecosystem, where it provides shelter to a variety of commensal species including fishes and Periclemenes species cleaner shrimp, and serves as fish cleaning stations. The decline in numbers of this anemone might have a knock-on affect adversely influencing many other species.

The ban will prohibit collection in Florida waters, but Condylactis anemones should still be available from other locations, as it has a wide distribution in the Caribbean Sea and the Western Atlantic Sea, ranging from southern Florida through the Florida Keys to as far south as Brazil and east as Bermuda.

Other changes and clarifications by the FWC include:

• Removal of unicorn filefish, sand perch and dwarf sand perch from what is considered marine life, which will allow these species to be harvested with traditional fishing gear, such as hook and line and cast net, and without the requirement that they be kept in an aerated live well. The recreational bag limit of five of each species per day will no longer apply.
• Clarifying that size limits for angelfish extend to any hybrid forms of the species.
• Clarifying that commercial size limits for angelfish and butterfly fish apply to all harvesters, including recreational.
• Clarifying that the reefs built by Sabellarid tubeworms are live rock and, therefore, cannot be harvested.
• Prohibiting the harvest of black corals, which are already prohibited from harvest in federal waters.
• Expanding the definition of snapping shrimp to include all marine life snapping shrimp species.

Further information:

Concern has been raised as early as 2001 about the status of Condylactis gigantea and its collection for the aquarium trade. see:

Chiappone M, Miller SL, Swanson DW (2001) Condylactis gigantea – A giant comes under pressure from the aquarium trade in Florida. Reef Encounters 30: 29–31.

More recent information on collection for the aquarium trade can be found here:

Crawling to Collapse: Ecologically Unsound Ornamental Invertebrate Fisheries

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2012

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Up until now I’ve pretty much ignored stories about sharks, not seeing their relevance to coral reefs and reefkeeping, the core subjects of Reef Ramblings; but research presented at ICRS 2012 demonstrating how sharks are an integral part of coral reef communities, has caused me to reassess this view.

Declining shark populations owing to over fishing are having an adverse affect on reefs; the removal of the apex predator is allowing an increase in the populations of medium size predators such as emperors and snappers resulting in a corresponding decrease in the populations of smaller herbivores such as parrotfish and damselfish that are vital to coral growth because of their role in keeping algae under control.

Research by Dr Mark Meekan, principal research scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) shows that the parrotfish that tend coral reefs are in decline in regions where sharks have disappeared, proving the apex predators are vital to reef health. His research looked at reefs northwest of Western Australia where shark stocks have been devastated to meet the Chinese demand for shark fin soup.

“We’ve really ignored sharks as a component of reef communities,” he said, “they’re a key component of the system and even in the best managed places, such as the Great Barrier Reef, we have situations where stocks are declining.”

Shark populations need to be preserved as part of coral reef management, grey reef and white-tipped sharks populations on the Great Barrier Reef are dropping at an alarming rate, Dr Meek said the finding was a call to action to preserve shark populations and “If we’re going to ensure our reefs are around for generations to come, we need to start at the top and with the apex predators”.

Additional research from James Cook University’s Prof Sean Connolly shows that there can be up to 90 per cent fewer reef sharks in fished zones compared with no entry zones.

What can you do as a hobbyist?

One reason that I’ve tended to steer clear of writing about sharks is that I don’t advocate keeping any species of shark in a home aquarium unless you have the resources to provide a system equal to that of a public aquarium.

As a hobbyist the best thing you can do to help conserve sharks is to sign up to a pro-shark campaigns, particularly an anti-finning campaign. There are many organisations out there but as a starting point I’d suggest the Shark Trust, a UK charity for Shark Conservation.

The Shark Trust describes shark finning for the shark fin soup market as: “… the wasteful practice of removing shark fins at sea and discarding the carcass, often still alive, overboard. Tens of millions of sharks are caught each year for their fins. An upper estimate proposes that the fins of as many as 73 million sharks are traded annually. Finning is illegal in many parts of the world including Europe. Despite this in most countries it is still legal to buy and sell shark fins. However, weak legislation and ineffective enforcement often undermines shark-finning regulations. The high value of fins further encourages the exploitation of regulatory loopholes.”

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2012

11/7/12

One of today’s sessions at ICRS 2012 was of particular interest to reefkeepers; entitled Reefonomics, this session looked at the trade in live fish covering both the growing demand for live reef fish for the restaurants of China and at the trade in fish and corals for the ornamental sector, the reef aquarium industry.

Dr Liz Wood of the UK’s Marine Conservation Society gave the presentation that concentrated on the aquarium industry, focusing on the issues of biological sustainability along with those of equity and fair trade.

Photo: E. Wood

Biological sustainability

The issues here include

• The importance of monitoring and managing aquarium fisheries to ensure sustainability.
• Although there is currently no evidence of any species collected for the marine ornamental trade being at risk of global extinction, there is evidence of local depletions. Intensity of collection, the population size and the biological characteristics of the species concerned.
• Over-harvesting of target species may have ‘trickle-down’ effects on reef ecology and needs monitoring
• The continuing use of cyanide in the capture of aquarium fish is still a significant problem. This is a toxic chemical that indiscriminately kills other reef organisms, including corals, and can cause long-term damage to target fish, causing later mortalities.
• Post-harvest mortalities i.e. significant losses occurring due to stress, poor handling, and disease, especially in areas where journey times are long.

Equity and fair trade issues

The aquarium market is considered to be low volume but high value, with the potential to support livelihoods and provide economic stability for low-income coastal communities, but in areas such as Indonesia and the Philippines where middlemen are involved the prices paid to fishers are very low. (For more on the subject of low prices paid to fishers, see: The Fisherman & his wife – a true story from Serangan, Bali)

Solutions.

The solutions suggested include:

• Limiting fishing effort by regulating and licensing the number of collectors.
• Ensuring that vulnerable species are not over-exploited by establishing quotas.
• Applying ‘zero catch quotas’ to protect rare or vulnerable species.

Photo: E. Wood

Conclusions.

The presentation concluded by suggesting a number of actions that could improve management and conservation of resources:

• Collaboration between management authorities, scientists, and aquarium fishers to investigate resources in collecting areas and produce mutually agreed quotas, especially for vulnerable species.
• Use of fishery logbooks to record species and numbers of individuals caught, collecting areas, and time spent collecting.
• Regulation of collecting effort by licensing and restricting the number of collectors.
• Designation of no-take areas to help conserve stocks and to act as control sites to compare with areas where collecting occurs.
• Cessation of trade in species that are known to have poor chances of survival until such time as husbandry problems have been solved.
• Concerted efforts to eradicate use of cyanide. There is a newly developed cyanide test that may prove to be a significant help.
• Introduction of mandatory minimum standards of handling and welfare and appropriate training and inspection schemes at all stages.
• Development of mariculture in countries of origin to relieve pressure on wild stocks.
• Certification to help promote sustainable fisheries and good practice.

Abridged and adapted from Fact Sheet for Marine Aquarium fisheries and trade by Elizabeth Wood. To see the full sheet click here.

Editorial comment.

There is nothing in this presentation that I take issue with, indeed I find myself in full agreement with the content and would perhaps go a little further in wanting to introduce mandatory minimum standards of handling and welfare along with appropriate training and inspection schemes for retailers in the importing countries.

A brief comment on the point about cessation of trade in species that are ‘known to have poor chances of survival, until such time as husbandry problems have been solved’. I would favour a restriction on export, not a ban, otherwise advanced aquarists will not have the opportunity to develop the husbandry protocols required for the successful maintenance of these species.

I welcome comments regarding the issues covered here.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2012

9/7/12

Today marks the start of the 12th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS 2012) at the Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns, Australia. Held once every four years, the 5-day event brings together scientists from 80 countries, to present cutting-edge science and share the latest advances from international experts in coral reef conservation. The research and findings presented at the ICRS 2012 are fundamental to informing international and national policies and the sustainable use of coral reefs globally. Some 2,000 delegates, scientists, resource managers, conservationists, economists, educators and graduate students, from around the world are expected to attend the event

The event has been launched with a Consensus Statement on Climate Change and Coral Reefs with more than 2,400 signatures from the scientific community, worldwide, urging governments to take action for the preservation of coral reefs.

Topics and Issues

Coral reefs are declining rapidly almost everywhere. The symposium will cover the full spectrum of coral reef science, with the aim of sustaining reefs, and feature more than 1,500 talks and posters.

Topics include: coral reefs and climate change, ocean acidification, coral reef health and recovery, the role of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), managing reefs sustainably, and the Coral Triangle Initiative.

Plenary speakers, 22 Symposia and 72 Mini-Symposia, daily media briefings and other special events will illustrate coral reef threats, conservation strategies and the future of reefs.

History

Every four years the International Society for Reef Studies (ISRS), the world’s largest society officially focused on coral reefs and reef issues, convenes this major international scientific conference, the ICRS, sharing the latest knowledge and leading edge technologies about coral reefs worldwide. ICRS gatherings are critically important opportunities for advancing coral reef science, management and conservation, particularly at a time when our need to improve our understanding and management of coral reefs grows ever urgent.

The ICRS is the world’s pre-eminent meeting dedicated to coral reef science. Since the first Symposium was held in 1969 at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Mandapam Camp, India, the conference has grown from participants representing 11 countries to a global scientific event with 2,000 attendees from more than 80 countries.

To learn more about ICRS 2012, please visit the event’s website: www.ICRS2012.com

Over the course of the conference I hope to be able to bring you news of any issues that are of importance to reefkeepers.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

16^th June 2012.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson.

It’s 50 years ago today, 16^th June 1962, that Silent Spring by Rachel Carson first appeared in print as a three-part serialization in The New Yorker magazine. The book itself was published later the same year on the 27^th of September and then in October was chosen by the Book of the Month Club as the featured book for the month, greatly increasing its accessibility to the public

While Silent Spring is widely credited with the launch of the Environmental or Green movement it must be remembered that the idea of nature conservation came about nearly 100 years previously with events such as the creation of the Yellowstone National Park in 1872 the first US national park and possibly the World’s first national park. In the UK Charles Rothschild is regarded as a pioneer of nature conservation, credited with establishing the UK’s first nature reserve Wicken Fen, near Ely, in 1899.

Nevertheless Silent Spring had a significant affect in popularising the idea that mankind could have a seriously detrimental influence on the world around us, perhaps the first time that ideas such as this were received by such a large audience.

The title of the book alludes to the consequences on the environment of continued use of persistent pesticides evoking a spring season in which no bird songs could be heard, as they had all perished.

During the fifties Rachel Carson, a marine biologist, had previously published a trilogy of best selling books exploring ocean life: The Sea Around Us, Under the Sea Wind, and The Edge of the Sea.

A long-standing interest into the damaging affects of DDT, an artificial pesticide, on wildlife and human health led to 4 years of research, culminating in the publication of Silent Spring. The following year, 1963, President Kennedy ordered his Science Advisory Committee to investigate the book’s claims with the result that the committee issued a report supporting Rachel Carson’s thesis. This led to an eventual ban on the use of DDT.

The book argued that uncontrolled and unexamined use of pesticide was not only harming and killing birds and animals, but also affecting human health.

For more on Rachel Carson, see the Independent series, ‘The Green Movement at 50‘

Rio +20

It is ironic that Rio +20 is set to commence just a few days after this anniversary. For those concerned with the state of the oceans, particularly in the context of ocean warming and acidification, a writer could be tempted to go with the title, ‘Empty Seas’ for a comparable book written about the oceans today.

I make no excuses for the length of the following quote from the Rio 2012 Issues Brief 4 – Oceans, but for the short version skip to the end:

‘In addition, key commitments with regard to the sustainable development and use of the oceans were agreed as part of the outcomes of the nineteenth special session of the General Assembly on the programme for the further implementation of Agenda 21, the 2000 Millennium Summit of the United Nations, the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and the 2010 High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals. Several conventions, as for example the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), mention oceans and their marine resources and even establish ocean related targets.

Despite these efforts, the WSSD target to restore fish stocks to their maximum sustainable yields by 2015 is likely to be unmet as are other targets including the reversal of biodiversity loss in the oceans and the elimination of destructive fishing practices.

The Secretary-General report on oceans and law of the sea A/66/70/Add.1 identified gaps regarding the implementation of the legal and institutional framework for the sustainable development of oceans and seas as well as with regard to adequate and comprehensive knowledge and scientific research. The report was the focus at the twelfth meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea, which took place in June 2011 in New York. Several delegations were of the view that, in achieving sustainable development, fragmentation of the law of the sea should be avoided. They recalled that activities in the oceans were governed by the law of the sea as reflected in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the integrity of which should be preserved. As of May 2011 there were 162 state parties under the Convention. It was recalled that ratification of the Convention was a very significant action a State could take towards sustainable development. The need to harmonize the vision of the international community and develop synergies in order to promote the sustainable management of the oceans was emphasized.

Many delegations noted with concern the gap between the adoption of commitments and their implementation. They noted that many of the commitments made at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and subscribed in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and the Millennium Development Goals, especially relating to coastal developing States and small island developing States, had not been met. A number of delegations emphasized the need for greater efforts in the implementation of existing agreements and commitments, particularly at the national level, in order to advance the sustainable development agenda.

4. Challenges and emerging issues

Regardless of the significant economic, social and environmental benefits of oceans, there are countless challenges in preserving and maintaining them for future generations. Some of the problems plaguing the oceans are overfishing and destructive fishing, loss of biodiversity, including the serious decline and/or depletion of certain fish stocks (e.g. tuna, cod, haddock, flounder, halibut and red hake), ocean acidification (among others causing coral bleaching), ocean warming, coral reef destruction, watershed-based and marine-based pollution (runoff and debris), including accidental oil spills and radioactive water from nuclear accidents as well as invasive species from ballast water.

Studies have shown that since the beginning of the industrial revolution, oceans have become 30 per cent more acidic and predictions show that, by 2050, ocean acidity could even increase by 150 per cent. This would give marine ecosystems a very small period of time for adaptation, as it would represent a rate of increase that is 100 times faster than that of any ocean acidity change experienced over the last 20 million years.

Tropical coral reefs offer habitat to 25 per cent of all known marine species while constituting only less than one tenth of 1 per cent of the marine environment. About one fifth of the global coral reefs have already been damaged beyond repair and it is predicted that 90 per cent of coral reefs will be threatened by 2030 and all coral reefs will be threatened by 2050, if no protective measures are taken. A recent study assessing the world’s oceans, including the deep sea, highlighted the significant damage caused by pollution, resource exploitation and climate change.

According to the Secretary-General report on oceans and law of the sea A/66/70/Add.1, other challenges identified by member states include maritime delimitation, implementation and enforcement, capacity-building, integrated management of oceans and seas, environmental vulnerability of Small Island and Developing States (SIDS), vulnerable marine ecosystems and ecologically or biologically significant areas, and crimes at sea.

Important emerging issues identified include marine genetic resources, coral reefs management, marine debris, nutrient over-enrichment and eutrophication, geo-engineering, ocean noise, renewable energy and environmental data exchange.

At the twelfth meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea, several delegations noted that the challenges affecting sustainable development were interlinked and could not be addressed in isolation. Many delegations re-emphasized the environmental vulnerability and isolation of Small Island developing States, whose culture, livelihoods and economies were being threatened by unsustainable uses of marine resources and by climate change.

Potential economic, social and environmental impacts of these challenges are enormous, which highlights the urgency of taking action to ensure the sustainable management and use of oceans and their marine resources.

5. Way forward

The approaching United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in Brazil from 20 to 22 June 2012, will bring together government representatives, civil society, academia, the scientific community and the private sector to discuss sustainable development issues, including the sustainable management and protection of oceans and marine resources. It represents a unique opportunity to speed up implementation and to take action on ocean-related emerging issues. The Conference will coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of UNCLOS.

At the twelfth meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea in 2011, several delegations expressed the view that, for the 2012 Conference on Sustainable Development to be a success, it should deliver a strong outcome for oceans, fisheries and biodiversity. Oceans and seas, in the light of their economic, social and environmental significance, should feature prominently in the discussions and outcome of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012. The need for setting realistic targets and goals that would be fully implemented was also pointed out.

One of the Rio+20 conference themes is “a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication”. However, the development of this “green economy” will rely in part on the sustainable management and use of oceans and their resources. At the twelfth ICP meeting as well as at the second preparatory committee for Rio+20 held in March 2011, various member states emphasized the importance of sustainable management of oceans and the conservation of ocean resources while referring to a so-called “blue economy” approach, in line with Agenda 21. Many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) specifically called for Rio+20 to provide support for sustainable ocean development and protection of marine resources. Therefore, the topic of oceans is expected to figure prominently at the Conference. Furthermore, there will be several preparatory meetings covering the topic.

The Commission on Sustainable Development, which is tasked to support the achievement of sustainable development, including the preservation of the seas, oceans, islands and coastal areas, is furthermore scheduled to undertake a two-year review of oceans, marine life and SIDS in 2015-2016.‘

Telling phrases include the paragraphs beginning:

‘Many delegations noted with concern the gap between the adoption of commitments and their implementation.’

‘Studies have shown that since the beginning of the industrial revolution, oceans have become 30 per cent more acidic and predictions show that, by 2050, ocean acidity could even increase by 150 per cent.

‘About one fifth of the global coral reefs have already been damaged beyond repair and it is predicted that 90 per cent of coral reefs will be threatened by 2030 and all coral reefs will be threatened by 2050, if no protective measures are taken.’

All leaving me increasingly pessimistic about the future of oceans, in particular the future of the coral reefs. Indeed, it seems that at a time of world wide financial worry, that the future of the world itself is being ignored

As ever, let me leave you with exhortation to show off your reef aquarium to as many people as you can. This is one way in which you can help promote the plight of the reefs by showing non-hobbyists the wonders of the oceans that we are in grave danger of losing.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2012

For those of you whose interest in seeing footage of coral reefs was awakened by the recent BBC2 Great Barrier Reef series, here’s chance to take a glimpse at a healthy Caribbean reef.

Back in December 2011 prestigious CBS news magazine ‘60 Minutes’ showed a 12 minute feature focusing on the plight of the world’s coral reefs, Correspondent Anderson Cooper visited Cuba’s Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen) with the Ocean Foundation’s Senior Fellow, Dr. David E. Guggenheim to take a look at a uniquely preserved ecosystem that illustrates the way a healthy coral reef looked like compared to the majority of reefs in the region which have becoming seriously degraded over the past 50 years.

The Gardens of the Queen have been described as one of the world’s most vibrant coral reefs, an anomaly at a time when many of the world’s reefs are in danger – or already dead.

Click on the link to below  to view the 12 minute feature:

The Gardens of the Queen

This is interesting viewing for reef aquarists for many reasons.

Caribbean coral reefs, along with the rest of the reefs in the Gulf of Mexico, are markedly different to those of the Indo Pacific. Alcyoniidae, the leather corals that we are familiar with from the Indo Pacific are largely absent; in their place are an abundance of Holaxonia, the sea fans and gorgonians.

It is an inspiring program to watch if you are contemplating putting together a biotope based on this region. Although we don’t have access to stony corals from the area there are plenty of other interesting invertebrates and colourful fishes available that can be made into a fascinating reef display refreshingly different from the usual mishmash of Indo Pacific species.

It is encouraging to see a healthy reef, showing little degradation, although on reflection most reefs shown on television are either ‘pristine’ or devastated.

This program caused much debate amongst coral reef scientists, some of it nit-picking, but I think the consensus was that it was a positive event with at least 18 million Americans seeing this film on the night it was broadcast. The biggest problem facing coral reefs today continues to be the lack of awareness among the general public regarding their deteoriating condition and the causes of that condition. Anything that helps to get this message across, as with the recent BBC2 Great Barrier Reef series, is invaluable to reef conservation.

The fish, particularly the groupers are stunning. Also watch out for the short segment showing what looked to be Periclimenes species shrimps engaged in cleaning activity.

Again, one to watch and to recommend to friends and colleagues to increase their appreciation of coral reefs, and their awareness of the issues affecting them.

Additional links:

CBS ’60 Minutes’ – The Gardens of the Queen

Dr. David E. Guggenheim

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2012

Marine aquarium fish collector Steve Robinson was sentenced to 45 days in prison on Thursday15th December for smuggling dozens of exotic fish from a small island near Mexico. He is facing prison after pleading guilty to smuggling a rare species of fish that can worth up to $10,000 per animal by claiming they were a more common species.

© D Ross Robertson, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Federal prosecutors accused Robinson of collecting 52 Clipperton angelfish in April 2009 off Clipperton Island. The Clipperton angelfish Holacanthus limbaughi is endemic to the area, growing to 25 cms total length, and is listed by the IUCN as Near Threatened (NT). Clipperton Island is an uninhabited atoll southwest of Mexico under French authority where fishing requires permission from the French government.

Federal fish and wildlife investigators found that Robinson then imported the fish into the United States while falsely claiming to authorities that they were a different, more common species.

Robinson pleaded guilty in August and is scheduled to begin serving the sentence January 30. The presiding United States Magistrate also ordered Robinson to pay a $2,000 fine and a one-year period of supervised release.

Tim Hayes,

Midland Reefs

©2011

Over the 14-16th December the European annual quota will be announced in front of the world’s press in Brussels.

The Fish Fight team is placing their Fish Fight Counter as close to the proceedings as possible so that it sits in view in the back of news clips.  They need the number on the counter (i.e. number of people who have signed the Fish Fight petition) to rise as much as possible over that time.

If you’ve not yet signed the petition (see link below), I would urge you to do so. Please pass the link to the petition on to your friends and colleagues, and ask them to sign up too!

After you’ve signed up your name will be displayed on the fish fight counter outside the European Parliament building in Brussels!

www.fishfight.net

 Thursday 15^th December 2011

FISH FIGHT has gone live this morning with the ‘Send a letter to your MEP’ appeal.

At the time of posting nearly 50,000 letters have been sent so far!

It’s currently a key moment in the next stage of the reform process as MEPs debate the details of the new Common Fisheries Policy.  FISH FIGHT would like you all to email your MEP letting them know how strongly you feel about a radical reform of the laws that govern our oceans.

FISH FIGHT has made this really easy to do. All you have to do is follow the 3 step guide at http://www.fishfight.net/meps

• First enter your name and address.
• Then choose which of your MEPs you want to write to.
• Then either write your own message, or use the template provided.

Your E-Mail Could Make All the Difference!

Please circulate this call to action to as many of your friends and colleagues as you can.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

Coral reefs ‘will be gone by end of the century’ – the first entire ecosystem to be destroyed by human activity.

In his book to be published on the 12^th September 2011, ‘Our Dying Planet’ Professor Peter Sale says that coral reef ecosystems are very likely to disappear this century in what would be “a new first for mankind – the ‘extinction’ of an entire ecosystem”. Professor Sale has studied the Great Barrier Reef for 20 years at the University of Sydney and currently leads a team at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health.

Coral reefs are on course to become the first ecosystem eliminated entirely from the Earth through human activity, something that will occur before the end of the present century, suggesting that there are children already born who will live to see a world without coral.

The predicted decline is mainly down to climate change and ocean acidification, though local activities such as over fishing, pollution and coastal development have also harmed the reefs. The book contains further predictions, such as the prospect that “we risk having no reefs that resemble those of today in as little as 30 or 40 more years”.

“We’re creating a situation where the organisms that make coral reefs are becoming so compromised by what we’re doing that many of them are going to be extinct, and the others are going to be very, very rare,” Professor Sale says. “Because of that, they aren’t going to be able to do the construction which leads to the phenomenon we call a reef. We’ve wiped out a lot of species over the years. This will be the first time we’ve actually eliminated an entire ecosystem.”

Coral reefs are important for their immense biodiversity, containing a quarter of all marine species, despite covering only 0.1 per cent of the world’s oceans by area, and are more diverse than the rainforests in terms of diversity per square kilometre and the number of different phyla*  present.

*Phyla (plural) – Phylum: a major division of a biological kingdom, consisting of closely- related classes; represents a basic fundamental pattern of organization and, presumably, a common descent.

Research into coral reefs’ highly diverse and unique chemical composition has found many medically useful compounds that could be lost given the present trends, including new means of tackling cancer, a treatment for leukaemia derived from a reef-dwelling sponge, and even the possible application of compounds found in coral as a powerful sunblock.

Coral reefs have considerable economic importance to humanity; around 850 million people live within 100km of a reef, of which some 275 million, often the very poorest, dependant on the reef ecosystems for nutrition or livelihood. Reefs have great value as tourist destinations and also offer protection to low-lying islands and coastal regions from extreme weather, absorbing waves before they reach vulnerable populations.

Carbon emissions generated by human are the biggest cause of the rapid decline of coral reefs, affecting them in two ways.

• Climate change increases ocean surface temperatures, puts corals under enormous stress and leads to coral bleaching, where the symbiotic algae on which the reef-building creatures depend for energy disappear. Deprived of these for even a few weeks, the corals die.

• Roughly one-third of the extra carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere is absorbed through the ocean surface, leading to ocean acidification. This is a more recently recognised problem in tropical reef systems where the lower pH of the water makes it harder for reef organisms to build their calciferous skeletons.

The gaps between periods in which reefs are present have been long in geological terms, described in the book as “multimillion-year pauses”. There has been a tendency for reef disappearance to precede wider mass extinction events, offering a “canary in the environmental coal mine” for the present day, according to the author. “People have been talking about current biodiversity loss as the Holocene mass extinction, meaning that the losses of species that are occurring now are in every way equivalent to the mass extinctions of the past,” Professor Sale says. “I think there is every possibility that is what we are seeing.”

About 20 per cent of global coral reefs have already been lost during the last few decades. Mass bleaching events leading to widespread coral death are a relatively recent phenomenon; scientists have been studying coral reefs in earnest since the 1950s with mass bleaching being first observed in 1983. Dr Mark Spalding, of Nature Conservancy, and the University of Cambridge, who witnessed the catastrophic 1998 mass bleaching in the Indian Ocean first-hand, says: “It was a shocking wake-up call for the world of science, and a shocking wake-up for me to be actually there as we watched literally 80 to 90 per cent of all the corals die on the reefs of the Seychelles and other islands in a few weeks.” That single event destroyed 16 per cent of the world’s coral.

According to the book’s author: “The 1998 bleaching was spectacular because it was so extensive and so conspicuous. But there have been mass bleachings that have been global since then, 2005 was bad, and 2010* was bad. The visual appearance is not nearly as severe as it was in 1998, simply because there is less coral around.”

* See Reef Ramblings, ‘Global Bleaching 2010’.

Bleaching events coincide with weather patterns such as El Niño or shifts in the timing of the Monsoon season and are increasing in frequency owing to climate change. Tackling global warming is the most urgent solution advocated by the book. “If we can keep CO2 concentrations below 450 parts per million we would be able to save something resembling coral reefs,” Professor Sale says. “They wouldn’t be the coral reefs of the 1950s or 1960s, but they would be recognisably coral reefs, and they would function as reefs.” The current atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is about 390 parts per million, but few experts believe it will remain below 500 for long.

Although there are signs that local conservation efforts can make a difference, with certain corals subject to low levels of stress being able to recover if pressures such as over fishing and pollution are removed, all this is really doing is buying time. If climate change continues at its current rate, they will be lost eventually.

Not all reef scientists agree with the timescales set out by the book, some would not be surprised if the demise of the reefs was to occur earlier, but they are in consensus.

“When you’re talking about the destruction of an entire ecosystem within one human generation, there might be some small differences in the details – it is a dramatic image and a dramatic statement,” says Alex Rogers, professor of conservation biology at Oxford University. “But the overall message we agree with. People are not taking on board the sheer speed of the changes we’re seeing.”

Click to read the first chapter of ‘Our Dying Planet’ by Peter Sale (University of California Press)

Based on an article by Andrew Marszal, published in the Independent on Sunday

Abbreviated and edited with additional information by Tim Hayes, Midland Reefs.

Another questionable petition from the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has just been filed under the Endangered Species Act.

From the CBD website.

“The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a petition seeking Endangered Species Act protection for the dwarf seahorse, a one-inch long seahorse that lives in seagrass beds in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida and the Caribbean. The seahorse is threatened with extinction due to pollution from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, decline of seagrass throughout its range and commercial collection.

“Our country’s tiniest seahorse is just one of the many victims of ongoing pollution from the Gulf oil spill disaster,” said Tierra Curry, conservation biologist at the Center and author of the petition. “The dwarf seahorse now needs Endangered Species Act protection to have a fighting chance of survival.”

The dwarf seahorse was declining even before the BP oil spill contaminated much of its remaining range. Oil pollution and dispersants used to break up oil are toxic to both seahorses and the seagrasses they need to survive.

“Oil spills like the one nearly a year ago in the Gulf of Mexico exact a long and terrible toll on marine life, especially species like the dwarf seahorse that have already been struggling to survive,” Curry said. “These kinds of catastrophic spills will continue to be a threat as long as our country continues to push for more and more offshore drilling.”

Since 1950 the state of Florida has lost more than half its seagrasses, with loss in some areas exceeding 90 percent. Seagrass loss has also been dramatic in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and the Bahamas. Because the dwarf seahorse is a habitat specialist, loss of seagrass equates directly to seahorse population declines.

In addition to oil pollution, the seahorse’s seagrass habitat is threatened by declining water quality, damage from boat propellers and shrimp trawlers, and global climate change.”

Click here to see the petition in full, CBDDwarfSeahorsePetition

The Reality?

It should be remembered that this is the organisation that filed a scientific petition to protect the 83 most vulnerable corals within U.S. waters without sufficient science to back up their claims

Although the dwarf seahorse is undoubtedly at risk from the loss of its sea grass habitat as a result of coastal population pressure, with its accompanying dredging and pollution, there is little or no published data about population trends or total numbers of mature animals for this species. While it also seems plausible that the Gulf oil spill will have had a detrimental effect on this species, this has not yet been reported in scientific literature

To me it seems that the CBD may be grandstanding, using a charismatic species with no science to back up its claims. A quick search through the literature produced very little information on the endangered status of

IUCN Red List

The IUCN Red List classes the species as: Data Deficient. Saying, “There is very little available information about its extent of occurrence or its area of occupancy. There have been no quantitative analyses examining the probability of extinction of this species. As a result, we have insufficient data to properly assess the species against any of the IUCN criteria, and propose a listing of data deficient (DD).

Geographic Range is the Gulf of Mexico (Florida Keys and Texas) and the Bahamas with an unknown population and no information on population trends

Habitat and Ecology:   This species is found in shallow sea grass flats, especially in association with Zostera and other sea grass, and is found in floating vegetation

This species may be particularly susceptible to decline. The information on habitat suggests they inhabit shallow sea grass beds that are susceptible to human degradation, as well as making them susceptible to being caught as by catch.

Hippocampus zosterae are one of the more popular seahorses in the aquarium trade (Vincent 1996, Wood 2001). Florida has a small directed trawl fishery in shallow grass beds off the west coast for H. zosterae where they are landed in a live bait trawl fishery. In this fishery alone, tens of thousands of H. zosterae are collected each year for the aquarium trade (Vincent and Perry, in prep.). Hippocampus zosterae occupies the 2nd rank of the top 10 fishes exported from Florida for the aquarium trade (Wood 2001).

The American Fisheries Society (AFS) lists the United States populations of H. zosterae as Threatened due to habitat degradation (Musick et al. 2000). While this status may apply on a national level, we did not find information that would justify such a listing for the species as a whole.

Conservation Actions: The entire genus Hippocampus was listed in Appendix II of CITES in November 2002. Implementation of this listing began May 2004. Full monitoring of the trade is underway in the United States, however this is dependent on traders’ declarations. Seahorses are listed under Title 68 (Rules of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) of the Florida Administrative Codes. The targeted fishery for the aquarium trade in Florida is monitored and regulations are in place, such as a limitation on the number of commercial harvesters, however the non-selective exploitation is not monitored in any state. The take of seahorses for the aquarium trade is prohibited in the USVI and Puerto Rico. Stock assessments are needed in order to evaluate the sustainability of the fishery and establish appropriate management guidelines. Further research on this species biology, ecology, habitat, abundance and distribution is needed.

Fish Base

Information from Fish Base regarding the species status describes the species as having ‘Medium Resilience’ with a minimum population doubling time 1.4 – 4.4 years (tm=0.4; tmax=1; assuming Fec=100 (approx. 3 generations/year)) and rates the species vulnerability as being moderate (37 of 100)

Poorly Studied

A repeated theme regarding dwarf seahorses is that further research is required, as an example, here is some information on one of the few research projects that I’ve been able to find on the species, which emphasises how little is known.

Tampa Bay

University of Tampa Assistant Professor Heather Masonjones is mapping seahorse populations in Tampa Bay, along with their stretched-out relatives, the pipefish. The research is sponsored by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, which is interested in the status of seahorses as a barometer of the overall health of the bay.

Asking the question, “Why don’t we know more about these fascinating fishes living in the Tampa Bay Estuary?” The simple answer is that no one has taken the time to study them in detail.

The dwarf seahorse inhabits coastal ecosystems such as the shallow grass beds, salt marshes and mangroves of Tampa Bay and the Florida Keys. Measuring only one to two inches from the top of their heads to the tips of their tails, these animals are more like the “ponies” of the seahorse family compared to their giant 12-inch-long relatives found in the Pacific.

Although the dwarf seahorse is small in stature, Masonjones has a hunch that these tiny wonders may serve a much bigger purpose, believing them to be indicators of the health of the ecosystem, because they specifically inhabit stable ecosystems.

Because seahorses depend on the bay’s fragile sea grass communities, the value of studying their populations is two-fold. Since 1950, sea grass habitat in Tampa Bay has dramatically declined, although improving water quality has led to substantial sea grass gains in recent years. Mapping seahorse populations may help scientists identify environmental factors associated with their presence and in turn, determine what habitat is healthy or not so healthy.

“We don’t have a good idea of the status of their populations in Tampa Bay,” said Dr. Ilze Berzins, Florida Aquarium’s vice president of biological operations. “We don’t know how many there are or understand the many ways their habitat may influence them. We don’t know if conditions are improving or worsening.”

Because they are charismatic organisms, Masonjones believes they are an ideal “poster child” to rally support for protecting sea grasses. “Other studies have been done over the years looking at either habitats, such as sea grasses, or seahorse numbers, but there hasn’t been extensive work looking at the combination of both issues, seahorses and habitat”

Surveying seahorse populations is a time-consuming process that involves combing sea grass beds with large rectangular nets, all specimens collected are recorded, not just the seahorses, as it’s important to count everything to determine the biodiversity of an area. To help the project along 40 volunteers from the University of Tampa, the Florida Aquarium and the general public have been assisted in the ‘seahorse round-ups.’ The location of capture and species of each animal is recorded, taking special note of any seahorses or pipefish. Dwarf seahorses are marked with a very small latex paint dot, which helps track who lives where, photographed, then released to their original location,

For each survey site, the research team records temperature, salinity, water flow and pH, identifies the type and condition of sea grass, and collects sediment samples that may reveal whether contaminants play a part in survival rates.

One mystery yet to be solved is the whereabouts of young dwarf seahorses as they are rarely collected with the researchers finding perhaps just one in every seven nets.

Afterword

Considering the work involved in the Tampa research project, I find it difficult to understand what CBD are basing their petition on. Consider the length of coastline of the Gulf, the US portion of the Gulf coastline spans 1,680 miles (2,700 km), whilst the Mexican portion of the Gulf coastline spans 1,394 miles (2,243 km), a total of 3074 miles (4943 km), it is hard to conceive of the size of project required to definitively quantify both population and population trend of a small cryptic species that only grows to 2 –3 cms.

Further articles in connection with the Centre for Biological Diversity:

US May Ban 66 Stony Coral Species.

Possible ban on collecting clownfishes.

The Beginning of the End for Stony Corals in the Reef Aquarium Hobby.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2011