Let's Untie Some Reef Knots

Any of the above sound familiar? Well now that I've got your attention, let's straighten out some common misconceptions (untie some reef knots) and set the record straight about why we should be concerned about the health of our worldwide coral reefs.

Much of the information below comes from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) which is the Australian federal government's manager of the Great Barrier Reef, charged with the fundamental obligation of protecting this World Heritage-listed natural wonder, along with extracts from the Queensland Museum publications and a few other on line databases. I have held an interest in the Great Barrier Reef since my early childhood in Scotland, and this was rekindled when I moved, some 30 years ago, to the east coast of the 'Lucky Country', off which the GBR lies. It follows then that this blog, mostly through convenience and local familiarity, concentrates on observations and behaviour documented on the GBR, but it is possible that much of the data which I have re-presented and summarised may also be common to some of the many other worldwide reef systems, such as the following:

• The reefs of the Coral Triangle, located in the shallow coastal waters around Indonesia, Malaysia, PNG, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and East Timor;
• The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System;
• The New Caledonia Barrier Reef;
• The Andros, Bahamas Barrier Reef; 
• The Red Sea Fringing Reefs; 
• The Florida Reef Tract; and 
• The Bermuda Reef system.

So What's the Goss with the GBR?

• covers 344,400 square kilometres in area - that's bigger than the UK, Switzerland and Holland combined; or about the same area as Japan, Germany, Malaysia or Italy; or half the size of Texas (nothing, of course, is bigger than Texas); 
• stretches approximately 2300 km along the Queensland coast (that's in north-east Australia for the geographically challenged and those of you who aren't fortunate enough to live where it's "beautiful one day, perfect the next") - that approximates to the length of the US west coast, from Vancouver south to Trump's Wall;
• includes the world's largest coral reef ecosystem; 
• includes some 300 coral reefs, 600 continental islands, 300 coral cays and about 150 inshore mangrove islands; 
• is between 60 and 250 km in width; and
• has an average depth of 35 m in its inshore waters, while on outer reefs, continental slopes extend down to depths of more than 200 m. 

So What's this Coral Stuff?

So Does my Visit Get me Anything other than Fish and (Coral) Chips?

• Marine mammals (whales, dolphins, dugong, seals) - There are over 30 species of marine mammals, of which the dugong (or seacow) is one of the strangest looking, feeding on sea grasses, which she scoops up quicker than your mother-in-law's vacuum cleaner.

• Birds, sea birds and shorebirds - The GBR and its islands and cays support 22 seabird species (all with immaculate oral hygiene, since, "birds of a feather, floss together").
• Marine turtles - Six of the world's seven species of marine turtles occur on the GBR (best way to talk with them is by 'shell phone', and the best way to get their pic is via a 'shell-fie').

• Crocodiles - Salt water crocs can be found near many of the GBR islands and cays (even without a GPS they're great 'navi-gators').
• Sea snakes - Home to 14 different species (incidentally they all work for the government and are therefore 'civil serpents').
• Sharks and rays - 133 species ranging from small epaulette sharks to large whale sharks (plus the local casinos have quite a few 'cardsharks'). 
• Fishes - An estimated 1625 species of bony fish (it is said that the sturgeon can operate on the brain coral).

• Echinoderms - Starfish may be the most well known of the 630 species (incidentally never ask for directions from a starfish).

• Crustaceans - 1300 species, including some commercially important ones such as crabs and prawns (these spend a solitary existence as they tend to be very 'shellfish').
• Molluscs - Over 200 species including clams, oysters, squid, octopus, cuttlefish, nautilus, nudibranchs, chitons and snails  (of course you won't find the latter at McDonald's, which only serves fast food).
• Hard corals - The building blocks of the reef with over 450 species known (I wonder if the reef creatures sing Christmas Corals over the festivities?).
• Sea anemones - Around 40 species (the clown fish below must be thinking, "with fronds like these, who needs anemones?").

• Soft corals - With over 150 species, these swaying creatures with jelly-like fleshy tissue are often mistaken for plants (they live a harmonious existence as they always 'coral-ate' with each other).
• Jellyfish - Locally known as 'stingers' there are over 100 species (I know you'll think that I'm talking crap when I tell you that their mouth is also their anus).
• Sponges - Colourful and common reef animals (no doubt studied by so many scientists because they're so absorbing?).

So Just What is Coral Bleaching?

• increase in water temperature; 
• oxygen starvation from increased plankton as a result of over fishing; 
• increased sedimentation from silt runoff into the rivers system flowing towards the reef; 
• changes in water salinity and pH; 
• herbicides introduced as runoff from adjacent cane farming or other intensive agricultural practices; 
• elevated sea levels from global warming; and 
• ocean acidification from elevated carbon dioxide levels caused by air pollution.

Marine scientists and reef managers have a wide consensus of opinion that, unless climate change can be controlled (primarily by stopping the burning of coal for energy and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions globally) along with other human induced polluting and adverse activities, 90% of reefs, worldwide, are likely to be at risk of major and probably irreversible bleaching events by 2030, with all reefs at risk by 2050.

So What's the Biggie if We Lose a Few Reefs?

• Loss of fish for food; 
• Loss of shelter and protection from predators for smaller sea life; 
• Loss of livelihood for fishing communities; 
• Loss of ecotourism; and
• Loss of protective barriers for coastlines, resulting in increased wave impact and damage from storms, erosion and flooding.

• Pro Dive, Cairns
• Deep Sea Divers, Cairns
• Queensland Museum
• Various on line stock photos.

When not researching the weird or the wonderful, the comical or the cultured, the sinful or the serious, I chase my creative side, the results of which can be seen as selected photographs of my travels on my website at: