… or we can just do it.

According to historian of science Jan Sapp the Crown-of-thorns starfish problem was the FIRST CONTINUOUS GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS. (see NEWSLETTER "What is Natural? Coral Reef Crisis")

CROWN OF THORNS                                  OVERFISHING
PRAWN TRAWLING                                    CORAL BLEACHING
MINING                                                     POLLUTION
SPIRALING TOURISM                               POLITICS

CROWN OF THORNS

The first plague of these coral eating predators descended on the coral reefs of the Indo Pacific region in the 1960's and devastated huge tracts of coral in every ecosystem, some of which have not recovered to this day.  The most damage suffered by any coral ecosystem was the Great Barrier Reef, for by the end of a second plague in the late 70's – 80's, nearly two-thirds of this great marine infrastructure had been affected.  The destruction was
catastrophic.
This is a two stage process of destruction:
 
1.The starfish attack the live coral,
2.This allows opportunist algae to establish a foothold on the damaged coral, new coral polyps
   cannot settle and regrowth is stunted.

We are currently approaching the dangerous period of a third plague, when the starfish will "outbreak" and millions of starfish will attack and destroy whatever coral is in their path. If no action is taken to reverse the situation this time around, the fate of the Great Barrier Reef will be sealed. For after each plague cycle the coral recovers less and less until it will reach the point of no return.

The question here is, do we wait yet again and watch from the sidelines while the starfish plunder the remaining coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific region, especially those reefs capable of surviving rising sea temperatures?  In this supposed age of environmental awareness, this should not be an acceptable option. 

(See NEWSLETTER, "What is Natural? Coral Reef Crisis" and "Thread of Awareness in Chaos")

OVERFISHING

The first impact on the marine life of the Great Barrier Reef occurred in the early years of this century when turtles were hunted for their meat until they were brought to the point of extinction.

The trochus-shell industry was flourishing on the Great Barrier Reef until the 1950's when the invention of the plastic button caused this industry to collapse overnight.  The trochus-shell fishermen then leaped onto the lucrative shell collecting industry where collectors eagerly sought coral shell molluscs such as the Balers, Giant Helmets and Giant Tritons because these species commanded high prices.  By the early 1960's, the Giant Triton numbers had been decimated.  Since the Giant Triton is the most prolific predator of the Crown-of-thorns starfish, a major link in keeping the starfish population in check on the Great Barrier Reef had been broken.

The Giant clam numbers on the Great Barrier Reef were decimated by Asian fishermen for their meat until they became a protected species.  But the poaching of this species still occurs. 

With the advent of scuba gear, high-powered spear guns and fast outboard motors which made reefs more accessible, professional spear-fishermen eliminated massive numbers of larger Crown-of-thorns starfish predators, such as the Humpback Wrasse and Giant Grouper, the meat of which fetched good profit from city markets until the source was fished out and the practice outlawed.  So another link in controlling the starfish population on the reef had been broken.

The Black Marlin tourist fishing industry was dealt a major blow when the Australian Government granted Japanese fishermen the right to "Long-line" on outer sections of the Great Barrier Reef in the 1970's.  These sections were in the migratory path of the Black Marlin as they made their way to northern spawning grounds.   The result of this horrendous fishing technique, which utilizes mile long lines with thousands of baited hooks attached, was to decimate Marlin numbers not to mention the carnage to other species, including Dolphin.

The current "live-fish" for Asian markets industry is a shortsighted government policy that is operating on the Great Barrier Reef. This practice potentially decimates a number of the smaller starfish predators.   Shortsighted Government policies that do not pay attention to the big picture will, like the disastrous "long-line" industry before it, cause more harm than good.

PRAWN TRAWLING

The nets of some 750 prawn trawlers plying the Great Barrier Reef act like harvesters on seabed life, each sweep of a net removing a good percentage of flora and fauna growth.  On top of that damage, four-fifths of each catch, including juvenile reef fish are unwanted and thrown away.  A 90% fatality rate of some 200 species caught.  If this practice continues, the composition of fish life in each fishing area will be changed.

Since most adult reef fish are predators on some part of the starfish growth cycle, prawn trawling is potentially breaking another link in the chain that keeps starfish populations in check.

CORAL BLEACHING

In 1998, in the International Year of the Ocean, the waters of the Great Barrier Reef warmed to their highest level on record and the reef suffered unprecedented coral bleaching, transforming huge areas of coral translucent white.

Bleaching occurs when the delicate balance between algae and coral polyp is destroyed.  When the coral is subject to sporadic adverse changes such as a rise in sea temperature, this causes the coral to release increased numbers of algae, leaving the coral polyp transparent with only the white calcium skeleton apparent.  If the algae doesn't return, the coral starves to death.  Most corals can survive infrequent bleaching but repeated or prolonged bleaching events kill them.

First noticed in the 1960's, it wasn't until the 1980's when global warming became an international problem to contend with that abnormally high sea-temperatures kept re-occurring for prolonged periods.  This caused bleaching and coral mortality on ecosystems around the world.

There is now scientific evidence that global warming is the primary cause of this sudden and continuing rise in sea-temperatures and the coral bleaching attributed to it. A vast number of expert marine scientists and climatoligists are convinced that sea-temperatures will continue to rise and warn that if this problem is not addressed in the near future, the majority of the world's reefs will be gone. A chilling prediction, but a real one.   

MINING

The main reason why the Crown-of-thorns starfish problem was not dealt with when it first appeared as a problem, was the fact that the State Government at the time was more interested in drilling for oil on the Great Barrier Reef.

Thirty years later, that objective became a reality.  During this time while the public was being reassured that there would be no drilling for oil on the Great Barrier Reef, a fossil fuel industry had been set up on the Queensland coastline just off the Reef.  Huge deposits of shale oil deposits are to be mined; some of which reach out into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area where the coral is suffering from the effects of bleaching attributed by many experts to global warming.

Ironic that the burning of fossil fuels such as oil and coal are the main contributors to greenhouse gases building up in the atmosphere.  As the air gets hotter, so does the sea.  Adding insult to injury, fuel extracted from oil shale produces a greater percentage of greenhouse gases than other fossil fuels.

At a time when Governments should be exploring alternate sources of energy, some are still advocating and servicing shortsighted policies.  Sure, this oil shale industry is worth billions of dollars and it will create many jobs.  But it will run out in a number of years. The Great Barrier Reef makes close to $2 billion a year in tourism, and that can last forever if we spend the time and energy to preserve it in it's natural state.

The choice is ours to make, but mining on the Reef should not be a consideration.

POLLUTION

Coastal Development:  As the population continues to increase along the coastline of Queensland, so does the amount of pollution, a good percentage of which affects the coral colonies of the Great Barrier Reef.

Semi-diluted sewage flows into the waters of the Great Barrier Reef from a number of outfalls along the Queensland coastline, changing the nutrient levels and in some cases causing toxic blooms.  This in turn breaks down the foundation between coral and algae, once this foundation is broken, the whole system of coral life collapses. 

Another problem associated with spiraling coastal development is the vast deluge of sediment and it's associated nutrients that is washed into the sea on a continuing basis, silting up virtually every inshore reef along the coastline, leaving them devastated. 

Farm Run-off:   Nothing causes changes to the nutrient level of the waters of the Great Barrier Reef more than that attributed to agricultural run-off.  Cane farming in particular has ballooned over the last four decades.  The pesticides used to grow crops are washed into the waters of the Great Barrier Reef via coastal rivers and creeks.  This causes changes to nutrient levels, which in turn affects coral development.

Mix this pesticide run-off with the nutrients of semi-diluted sewage and the sediment run-offs from coastal development and you have a lethal cocktail.  One, which is slowing coral development, breaks another link in controlling the Crown-of-thorns starfish population and is a serious threat to coral life as a whole.

CO2 Pollution:  Increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide – one of the famous greenhouse gasses causing global warming – have also resulted in an increase of dissolved carbon dioxide in the sea.  Scientists have recently discovered that the elevated CO2 impairs the ability of stony corals to secrete their calcium carbonate skeletons.  This slows the growth of corals and may stress the symbiotic relationship with the zooxanthellae.

Pollution of the Sea Surface: Perhaps the most difficult and pervasive pollution issue for coral reefs and other marine ecosystems is pollution of the sea surface microlayer.  The eggs and larvae of corals (and most other sea creatures) are buoyant for the first few hours of life.  They float to the surface of the sea and begin life in a highly specialised habitat that exists within the first few centimetres of the sea surface.
 
A layer of natural oils, produced from the fatty acids of dying plankton and other sea creatures coats the uppermost few microns of the sea surface.  This oil slick is concentrated by wind into long sinuous "wind slicks." 

Special marine bacterial slowly digest the natural oils and create a layer of sea water a few millimetres thick, rich in dissolved organics. The eggs, larvae and various species of phytoplankton thrive in this nutrient rich environment.  Scientists have found the oils have become polluted by a wide range of oil soluble pollutants, including a wide range of agricultural poisons and heavy metals. 

These contaminants are concentrated in the wind slicks along with the eggs of the great majority of sea creatures, including corals.  In coastal waters, especially near cities and agricultural areas, the pollutants are concentrated enough to be lethal to larval fish and other creatures. 

The extent of this problem is still being defined, but it looks as if it may be a likely explanation for the decline of a number of ocean ecosytems, including sea grass beds, kelp and coral reefs around the world.

TOURISM

Tourism in itself is a good thing and the Great Barrier Reef is to be enjoyed by anybody who wishes to visit it.  But spiraling tourism can have its problems.

The number of commercial boats plying the waters of the Great Barrier Reef has doubled in the last decade and the tourist numbers even more.  But unsupervised tourists cause a lot of damage, breaking off coral for souvenirs as one instance.  But boat anchors and chains cause the most damage to coral, especially on reefs around tourist resorts.  On any given weekend about 500 boats will ply the waters around the Whitsunday Islands alone.  The damage caused to the fringing reefs around these islands by boat anchors and chains has been severe, 50% in most cases.

POLITICS

Possibly as damaging as any human-induced problem on the Great Barrier Reef has been the indifference shown by successive Governments over the last thirty odd years to act on these same problems.  Politics is at the core of why the Great Barrier Reef has suffered so much damage and why it now has a combination of problems that if not addressed in the immediate future, could be its demise.

One case in point.  Over thirty-five years ago, a relatively unknown seastar called the Crown-of-thorns starfish made superstar status.  Plague populations of these starfish devoured coral reefs that took thousands of years to grow in mere months.  This made headlines in every newspaper around the world.  Articles on the phenomenon were carried in every magazine, reported on every TV network and  radio station.  Books were written on the subject, documentary films were made.  The problem was debated continually in the US Congress and parliaments around the world.  The new ocean to ocean Panama Canal project was scrapped because of a possible starfish threat to Caribbean reefs.  Yet the problem remains to this day.  Why? You guessed it: POLITICS.

SUMMARY

Though these coral reef problems seem to read like doom and gloom, look at the positive side of the ledger – all of these problems can be reversed.  But to achieve this, there has to be a will to act on them.   You can talk about saving the oceans…… or we can just do it.