From hendee at AOML.ERL.GOV Mon Jul 10 09:46:37 1995 From: hendee at AOML.ERL.GOV (James C. Hendee) Date: Mon, 10 Jul 1995 09:46:37 -0400 (EDT) Subject: New abstracts Message-ID: I am hoping that circulating new abstracts of coral health research will help keep list members abreast of current research. If you object to this, please let me know. If you have abstracts that are not on our Literatures Abstracts page, and would like them included, please drop a line. If you can send an e-mail message with the information, that would be much more easier to work with than a printed copy. Following are two new abstracts added to the CH&M World-Wide Web Home Page. Sincerely yours, Jim Hendee +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+ | James C. Hendee | Internet: hendee at aoml.erl.gov | | Coral Health and | | | Monitoring Program | Voice: 305 361-4380 | | Ocean Chemistry Division | Fax: 305 361-4582 | | NOAA/AOML | COASTAL RBBS: 305 361-4524 | | 4301 Rickenbacker Causeway | | | Miami, FL 33149-1026 | http://coral.aoml.erl.gov | +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+ ======= Hoegh-Guldberg, O. 1994. The uptake of dissolved organic matter by the larval stages of the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci. Marine Biology 120:55-63. ABSTRACT. The life-history of the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) includes a planktotrophic larva that is capable of feeding on particulate food. It has been proposed, however, that particulate food (e.g. microalgae) is scarce in tropical water columns relative to the nutritional requirements of the larvae of A. planci, and that periodic shortages of food play an important role in the biology of this species. It has been also proposed that non-particulate sources of nutrition (e.g. dissolved organic matter, DOM) may fuel part of the nutritional requirements of the larval development of A. planci as well. The present study addresses the ability of A. planci larvae to take up several DOM species and compares rates of DOM uptake to the energy requirements of the larvae. Substrates transported in this study have been previously reported to be transported by larval asteroids from temperate and antarctic waters. Transport rates (per larval A. planci) increased steadily during larval development and some substrates had among the highest mass-specific transport rates ever reported for invertebrate larvae. Transport rates for alanine increased from 15.5 pmol larva-1h-1 (13.2 pmol mg-1h-1) for gastrulas (Jinmax = 38.7 pmol larva-1h-1 or 47.4 pmol mg-1h-1 ) to 35.0 pmol larva-1h-1 (13.1 pmol mg-1h-1) for early brachiolaria (Jinmax just prior to settlement = 350.0 pmol larva-1h-1 or 161.1 pmol mg-1h-1) at 1 mM substrate concentrations. The instantaneous metabolic demand for substrates by gastrula, bipinnaria and brachiolaria stage larvae could be completely satisfied by alanine concentrations of 11 mM, 1.6 mM and 0.8 mM respectively. Similar rates were measured in this study for the essential amino acid leucine, with rates increasing from 11.0 pmol larva-1h-1 (or 9.4 pmol 5g-1h-1) for gastrulas (Jinmax = 110.5 pmol larva-1h-1 or 94.4 pmol 5g-1h-1) to 34.0 pmol larva-1h-1 (or 13.0 pmol mg-1h-1) for late brachiolaria (Jinmax = 288.9 pmol larva-1h-1 or 110.3 pmol 5g-1h-1) at 1 mM substrate concentrations. The essential amino acid histidine was transported at lower rates (1.6 pmol 5g-1h-1 at 1 mM for late brachiolaria). Calculation of the energy contribution of the transported species revealed that larvae of A. planci can potentially satisfy 0.6 %, 18.7%, 29.9% and 3.3% of their total energy requirements (instantaneous energy demand plus energy added to larvae as biomass) during embryonic and larval development from external concentrations of 1 mM of glucose, alanine, leucine and histidine respectively. These data demonstrate that a relatively minor component of the DOM pool in seawater (DFAA) can potentially provide significant amounts of energy for the growth and development of A. planci during larval development. ------------- Hoegh-Guldberg, O. 1994. The population dynamics of symbiotic zooxanthellae in the coral Pocillopora damicornis exposed to elevated ammonia. J. Pacific Science 48: 263-272. ABSTRACT The division synchrony and growth rate of symbiotic zooxanthellae was investigated for populations living in colonies of the reef-building coral Pocillopora damicornis exposed to different concentrations of NH4Cl in seawater. The presence of low concentrations of NH4Cl (0.2 5M) did not affect (compared to corals growing in NH4+-stripped seawater) either division synchrony or growth rate. Exposure to higher concentrations of NH4Cl (20 mM or 50 5M), however, affected the population dynamics of the zooxanthellae residing in P. damicornis. Zooxanthellae in corals exposed to 20 5M NH4Cl had mitotic indices (the percentage of the total cells dividing) that were two to three times higher than the mitotic indices of zooxanthellae in control (0.2 5M) corals. Although the division of zooxanthellae was still phased in corals exposed to 20 5M NH4Cl, there were many more cells dividing out of phase as compared to control corals. The division of zooxanthellae in corals exposed to 50 5M was not phased. The calculated growth rates of zooxanthellae exposed to 20 5M or 50 5M NH4Cl were higher than those representative of zooxanthellae living in control corals, although the growth rate of both carbon and nitrogen pools were lower in 50 5M as compared to 20 5M NH4Cl. These data support the conclusion that the population dynamics of symbiotic zooxanthellae within P. damicornis are affected by concentrations of NH4Cl in seawater that are equal to or higher than 20 5M, and that 50 5M NH4Cl concentrations may be toxic to some extent. These data taken in isolation, however, do not constitute an effective test of the hypothesis that zooxanthellae are limited by the supply of NH4Cl under ambient conditions, and further emphasize the importance of enrichment studies concentrating on growth and nitrogen incorporation rates measured for the entire symbiotic association. From epine01 at uni-tuebingen.de Mon Jul 10 20:08:19 1995 From: epine01 at uni-tuebingen.de (James Nebelsick) Date: Mon, 10 Jul 1995 17:08:19 PDT Subject: panama-taphonomy Message-ID: I am organizing a symposium for the forthcoming 8th International Coral Reef Symposium in Panama City, Panama, from the 24-29th of June 1996. The symposium is entitled "Taphonomy of past and present reef organisms" and I hope to include a wide range of current investigations concerning different taphonomic aspects of both past and present reef environments. While I have had some response from geologist or palaeontolgist working on recent reefs, it would be nice to have hear from biologist working on, for example, incrustation, predation, bioerosion, or any other aspects of taphonomy affecting organisms related to the reef environment. Investigations from geologist on fossil reefs are also welcome. If you are interested please contact me. Yours Sincerely, James Nebelsick Dr. James Nebelsick Institute and Museum of Geology and Palaeontology, Sigwartstr. 10; D-72076 Tuebingen, Germany Tel: xx49 7071 29 7546 Fax: xx49 7071 29 6990 email: nebelsick at uni-tuebingen.de From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Tue Jul 4 16:24:35 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Mon, 17 Jul 1995 08:24:35 +30000 Subject: Continuing Abstracts Message-ID: As part of our continuing effort to distribute information regarding coral health and monitoring, we are circulating the following two abstracts: Abdel-Salam,-H.; Porter,-J.W.; Hatcher,-B.G. Physiological effects of sediment rejection on photosynthesis and respiration in three Caribbean reef corals. PROCEEDINGS-OF-THE-SIXTH-INTERNATIONAL-CORAL-REEF- SYMPOSIUM,-TOWNSVILLE,-AUSTRALIA,-8th-12th-AUGUST-1988.- VOLUME-2:-CONTRIBUTED-PAPERS-MINI-SYMPOSIUM-1-TO-10-14. Choat,-J.H.;Barnes,-D.;Borowitzka,-M.A.;Coll,- J.C.;Davies,-P.J.;Floor,-P.;et-al.-eds.. 1988. pp. 285- 292. Three species of corals, Acropora palmata, Diploria strigosa, and Montastrea annularis , were exposed to the same weight of sediment. Corals were exposed to sediment during day light and darkness. Oxygen production and consumption were measured by respirometry; sediment removed by corals was collected simultaneously. All corals exposed to sediments showed an increase in respiration rate at night and a decrease in net photosynthesis during the day. Lowered net photosynthesis was due to both light shading and respiratory increase. Integrated 24 hour P/R ratios for control and sediment- exposed corals were calculated. All control corals had naturally occurring P/R ratios in excess of 1.0, but the sediment treated corals, without exception, had ratios significantly below 1.0, mostly due to high respiration during sediment rejection. M. annularis and D. strigosa have very high clearing rates relative to A. palmata . ============================================================= Acevedo,-R.; Morelock,-J. Effects of terrigenous sediment influx on coral reef zonation in southwestern Puerto Rico. PROCEEDINGS-OF-THE-SIXTH-INTERNATIONAL-CORAL- REEF-SYMPOSIUM,-TOWNSVILLE,-AUSTRALIA,-8th-12th-AUGUST- 1988.-VOLUME-2:-CONTRIBUTED-PAPERS-MINI-SYMPOSIUM-1-TO- 10-14. Choat,-J.H.;Barnes,-D.;Borowitzka,-M.A.;Coll,- J.C.;Davies,-P.J.;Flood,-P.;Hatcher,-B.G.;et-al.-eds.. 1988. pp. 189-194. The distribution of hermatypic coral species and species dominance patterns is discussed from the study of 8 reef sites of southwestern Puerto Rico. Photo-transects were surveyed on 4 sites at La Parguera where terrigenous sediment influx was absent and used to develop a standard coral zonation pattern. Four sites were studied at Ponce where the presence of terrigenous sediments was observed and results compared between sites for each depth level. Coral cover and species diversity was greatly reduced near the source of terrigenous sediment. Both coral cover and coral species diversity increased with distance from the sediment source. Loss of light is critical to the deeper coral assemblages, and a chronic increase in turbidity will move the lower limit of coral growth to much shallower depths. Other possible effects from sediment influx commonly observed were: partial or total burial of coral colonies, bleaching and colonization of the coral surface by filamentous blue-green algae. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | | Coral Health and Monitoring Program | | Ocean Chemistry Division | | Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorlogical Laboratories | | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | | Miami, Florida | | USA | | | | Email: coral at coral.aoml.erl.gov | | World-Wide Web: http://coral.aoml.erl.gov | | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Tue Jul 4 21:41:15 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Mon, 17 Jul 1995 13:41:15 +30000 Subject: Moruroa Atoll Message-ID: Greetings, The following message from Reinhold Leinfelder had some transmission difficulties on his end and is herewith being retransmitted. We apologize if this is a duplicate posting for you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | | Coral Health and Monitoring Program | | Ocean Chemistry Division | | Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorlogical Laboratories | | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | | Miami, Florida | | USA | | | | Email: coral at coral.aoml.erl.gov | | World-Wide Web: http://coral.aoml.erl.gov | | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ================================ Dear Colleagues, The present situation at Moruroa Atoll should not only worry us but rather demands some actions also from the Coral Health and Monitoring Group as well as others working on reefs. As reef researchers we all know that reefs are very porous systems which never will be dense and fence off nuclear waste from the surrounding world. This is true even if the atoll will not collapse due to the nuclear explosion. Particularly when judging from the fossil record reefs are highly porous, open hydrological systems. This is why reefs form the majority of reservoir rocks for giant oil fields. The fact that the oil is entrapped in the reefs is not contradictory to this view: The reef reservoirs are sealed by younger rocks or special tectonic situations. This is not possible in modern reefs which hence are one of the most open hydrological systems. Many oceanic atolls probably exhibit 'endo-upwelling' which is thought to be caused by stronger heatflow above the volcanic basement, so that additional to the generally high lateral permeability a vertical permeability and water flow from down to the surface might be generated. THIS WAS PARTICULARLY SHOWN FOR MORUROA ATOLL by Rougerie, F. & Wauthy, B. (1993): The endo-upwelling concept: from geothermal convection to reef construction.- Coral Reefs, 12/1: 19-30, Heidelberg etc. (Springer International). Knowing about these facts, we should open our mouths. I am no member of Greenpeace (I am Professor of Geology and Paleontology at the University of Stuttgart, Germany) but it seems that Greenpeace is the most active group in this aspect and that they try to follow a scientific line, besides all public relation work which is certainly necessary as well. They particularly demand more thorough studies prior to any tests. If you are interested you may see their WWW-page: http://www.greenpeace.org/~comms/rw/rwletter.html . At this page which is from the Greenpeace REsearch Labs, Greenpeace presents a RATIONALE FOR A PROGRAMME OF STUDY TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF FRENCH NUCLEAR TESTING AT MORUROA AND FANGATAUFA. Additional information is on http://www.greenpeace.org/~comms/rw/rw.html. The e-mail address of Greenpeace research labs is: where you could send a support statement. Be it through Greenpeace, any other institution or directly to the French government or embassy, please act in an appropriate manner as fast as you can! Best wishes Reinhold Leinfelder ******************************************** Reinhold Leinfelder Institut fuer Geologie und Palaeontologie der Universitaet Stuttgart Herdweg 51 D-70174 Stuttgart Germany e-mail: reinhold.leinfelder at po.uni-stuttgart.de phone: ++49-711-1211340 fax: ++49-711-1211341 From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Wed Jul 5 15:45:36 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Tue, 18 Jul 1995 07:45:36 +30000 Subject: Continuing Abstracts Message-ID: As part of our continuing effort to distribute information regarding coral health and monitoring, we are circulating the following two abstracts: Bonem,-R.M. Recognition of storm impact on the reef sediment record. PROCEEDINGS-OF-THE-SIXTH-INTERNATIONAL-CORAL- REEF-SYMPOSIUM,-TOWNSVILLE,-AUSTRALIA,-8th-12th-AUGUST- 1988.-VOLUME-2:-CONTRIBUTED-PAPERS-MINI-SYMPOSIUM-1-TO- 10-14. Choat,-J.H.;Barnes,-D.;Borowitzka,-M.A.;Coll,- J.C.;Davies,-P.J.;Flood,-P.;Hatcher,-B.G.;Hopley,-D.;et- al.-eds.. 1988. pp. 475-478. Recognition of the imprint of hurricanes and other storm deposits on the sediment record can provide a useful stratigraphic marker for the study of modern and ancient reef systems. Sediment cores were taken from lagoonal patch reef and forereef settings along the north coast of Jamaica before and after the passage of Hurricane Allen in August 1980. Examination of these cores has revealed that preservation of storm events is variable and may be altered with time. Although storm layers were easily recognized in lagoonal settings within 2 years following the hurricane, passage of time has made recognition based on grain-size differences more difficult due to bioturbation and grain-size alteration. However, it was possible to identify storm sediments by the presence of allochthonous skeletal grains. =============== Gagan,-M.K.; Chivas,-A.R.; Johnson,-D.P. Cyclone-induced shelf sediment transport and the ecology of the Great Barrier Reef. PROCEEDINGS-OF-THE-SIXTH-INTERNATIONAL- CORAL-REEF-SYMPOSIUM,-TOWNSVILLE,-AUSTRALIA,-8th-12th- AUGUST-1988.-VOLUME-2:-CONTRIBUTED-PAPERS-MINI- SYMPOSIUM-1-TO-10-14. Choat,-J.H.;Barnes,- D.;Borowitzka,-M.A.;Coll,-J.C.;Davies,-P.J.;Flood,- P.;et-al.-eds.. 1988. pp. 595-600. Shelf sediments collected immediately before and after the passage of Cyclone Winifred (1 February 1986) confirmed that the storm produced a normally graded layer extending 30 km offshore in water up to 43m deep. Resampling of the storm layer one year after the cyclone showed it to be completely obliterated offshore, but well-preserved on the inner shelf. The cross-shelf difference in preservation reflects the concentration of benthic organisms and higher bioturbation rates offshore. Post-cyclone changes in the cross-shelf distribution of super(13)C/ super(12)C and carbonate suggest that: (1) sediment derived from near-record flooding of the Johnstone River did not move more than 15 km offshore, (2) reef detritus was swept up to 1.5km shoreward to the mid- shelf, and (3) resuspended mid-shelf sediment was driven at least 15km shoreward to the inner shelf. Flood plume sediment rarely reaches the Great Barrier Reef directly from shore. From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Thu Jul 6 16:03:00 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Wed, 19 Jul 1995 08:03:00 +30000 Subject: Historical Sombrero Reef data Message-ID: Historical C-MAN data from Sombrero Reef in the Florida Keys (USA) has been posted to the Coral Health and Monitoring Program's Home Page. The period of data covered are from February 9, 1988 to February 28, 1991, and the fields reported are: Date/time Barometric pressure Air temperature Sea temperature Wind direction Wind speed Wind gusts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | | Coral Health and Monitoring Program | | Ocean Chemistry Division | | Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorlogical Laboratories | | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | | Miami, Florida | | USA | | | | Email: coral at coral.aoml.erl.gov | | World-Wide Web: http://coral.aoml.erl.gov | | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From croberts at uvi.edu Wed Jul 19 09:14:51 1995 From: croberts at uvi.edu (Callum Roberts) Date: Wed, 19 Jul 1995 09:14:51 -0400 (AST) Subject: No subject Message-ID: To: Subscribers to coral-list Dear Subscribers, I'm sure most of you will know about the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium which will be held in Panama from the 24th to 29th June 1996. This promises to be an excellent symposium which will involve much discussion about reef conservation and management and will herald the official launch of the International Year of the Reef. What you may not know is that members of the International Society for Reef Studies will get a $50 discount on registration fees. This means you can join the Society for the equivalent of $10 for your first year's membership. To claim the discount, when you register for the symposium (details available from Maria Majela Brenes: email stri01.naos.brenesm at ic.si.edu) simply mail in your ISRS membership application form (to the address given below) at the same time and tell the symposium organisers that you are just joining. ISRS offers many interesting activities and benefits which you can read about below. Best wishes, Callum Roberts Corresponding Secretary of the International Society for Reef Studies ISRS Membership The annual subscription for individual membership of ISRS is currently US$60, provided renewal payments are made by 1st March each year. Individual and Family Members receive the journal Coral Reefs, the newsletter Reef Encounter and other periodic mailings. Family membership is US$70. Student membership costs US$10 and benefits include all of the above except the journal Coral Reefs. Members outside Europe should add US$10 for airmail delivery of Coral Reefs (copies will otherwise be sent surface mail). Renewals received between 1 March and 30 April will cost US$20 for a student member, US$70 for a full member and US$80 for a family membership. Those received after 1 May will cost US$25, US$80 and US$90 respectively. New memberships will be at the base rate of US$10, US$60 and US$70 throughout the year. Subscriptions to the Society should be addressed to: International Society for Reef Studies, P.O. Box 1897, Lawrence, Kansas 66044-8897, USA. APPLICATION FORM FOR MEMBERSHIP Name: ......................................... Address: ............................................... ............................................... ............................................... ............................................... Title ......................................... Fields of interest............................. I/we enclose a cheque (in US$ ONLY please) of*: ........US$60 for FULL membership ........US$10 for STUDENT membership ........US$70 for FAMILY membership *Full and family members outside Europe: add US$10 if you wish to receive Coral Reefs by airmail. Bank drafts and cheques to be made payable to: INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR REEF STUDIES. PAYMENT BY MASTERCARD/VISA CARD NO................................... Expiry date............................... Signature................................. If a receipt is required, please request it at the time of payment. Send completed application form and your cheque to: International Society for Reef Studies, P.O. Box 1897, Lawrence, Kansas 66044-8897, USA. From bd268 at freenet.carleton.ca Wed Jul 19 10:38:34 1995 From: bd268 at freenet.carleton.ca (Jaime Baquero) Date: Wed, 19 Jul 1995 10:38:34 -0400 Subject: Coral list Message-ID: <199507191438.KAA13230@freenet3.carleton.ca> Congratulations for this iniatitive. I'm marine biologist, during the last 9 years I've been studying the exploitation of marine fish and invertebrates for the marine aquarium hobby trade. This exploitation has become controversial among the scientific community, environmental groups, those involved in the trade and the general public. I'd like to participate in this group and contribute with info and ideas, that will help to conserve,healthy and productive coral reefs for future generations. Sincerely. Jaime Baquero Marine Biologist Gatineau P.Q CANADA From tguild at lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu Thu Jul 20 14:37:09 1995 From: tguild at lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu (tguild at lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu) Date: Thu, 20 Jul 95 14:37:09 EDT Subject: Coral Calcification Message-ID: <9507201837.AA22771@lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu> Is there any consensus on light enhancement of calcification in corals? I have some of the earlier papers (through the late 1980s) eg. Goreau, Rinkevich, Loya, Barnes, etc but have not made an effort to update my references. I know (from work with forams) that 45Ca and 14C labelled experiments are fraught with potential errors and hence I'm leary of deciding one way or the other based on these methods in the "early" papers. Could someone on the list either "enlighten" me or direct me to a good thorough review or reference? My current tendency is to believe that although the linear extension rate is greater during photo- synthesis, the actual mass accumulation is relative invariant. Thank you in advance for your assistance. T. Guilderson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This message is from: Tom Guilderson tguild at lamont.ldeo.columbia.edu END From JAAP_W at harpo.dep.state.fl.us Thu Jul 20 16:55:41 1995 From: JAAP_W at harpo.dep.state.fl.us (Walt, Jaap) Date: Thu, 20 Jul 1995 15:55:41 -0500 (EST) Subject: Coral Calcification - Reply Message-ID: <01HT3IKA034W0029W0@mr.dep.state.fl.us> I recommend that you get in tourch with Betsy Gladfelter USVI or Bruce Chalker at AIMS if you need the addresses I can look them up. I am not sure Betsy has E mail. From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Sun Jul 16 03:30:38 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Fri, 28 Jul 1995 19:30:38 +30000 Subject: List-server now working Message-ID: We apologize for the inactivity of our list-server, but we had some difficulties which now appear to be resolved. Messages which were posted but not circulated were saved and will now be re-sent. Please note that if you wish to post a message to the whole group (about 220 people), send the message to: coral-list at reef.aoml.erl.gov If you have questions, suggestions or queries, you may direct them to: coral at coral.aoml.erl.gov Or, if you have questions pertaining directly to the operation of the list-server, you may send a message to: major-domo at reef.aoml.erl.gov with HELP in the subject field of your message. Thank you for your patience. From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Sun Jul 16 03:36:01 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Fri, 28 Jul 1995 19:36:01 +30000 Subject: Oil refinery in Sri Lanka Information Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 25 Jul 95 18:00:18 +0000 From: guest at lanka.gn.apc.org To: coral at coral Subject: Oil refinery in Sri Lanka Information To: coral at coral.aoml.erl.gov, irf at clark.net We recived your name from Prabha at iclei at web.apc.org Could you please Read Thank you in advance Subject: Sri Lanka Large Oil Refinery (Information required) INFORMATION REQUIRED Large Oil Refinery for Sri Lanka The extreme south of Sri Lanka is a relatively underdeveloped region of the country noted for its wildlife and beaches. The principal income generating activities in the region include tourism, fisheries and salt production. Tourists are attracted to the South by the beaches, the wildlife (and wildlife sanctuaries) and a place of pilgrimage sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus. The extreme south is the habitat of a rich fauna and flora. The fauna along the coast includes indigenous and migratory birds (e.g. sea eagles, pelicans, flamingos and ducks) and marine turtles. Coral reefs are also found in the south of the country. A proposal is being developed at present to site a giant oil refinery cum power project near Hambantota on the south coast. To supply this refinery it is said that oil tankers will be parked offshore and crude oil transferred by pipeline. The products of the refinery will be both for export as well as for use within the country. Reasons for the siting of the refinery cum power project complex near Hambantota include the generation of employment opportunities in the region. Although the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project is still being prepared and is not yet available for public inspection and comment (within a prescribed period), concern is already being expressed by some as to whether any disadvantages (e.g. oil leakages and spills) of the proposed development may outweigh the benefits. While there is already a small refinery situated close to the commercial capital of Colombo, we would be interested in receiving information on the impacts of large refineries cum power stations on coastal ecosystems and wildlife in other parts of the world. This will help in our study of the EIA when it is opened for public examination. Any comments should be sent to Please respond via post (snail Mail) only or in EN.ALERTS or REG.SASIA Thanks Rohan H. Wickramasinghe Institute for Tropical Environmental Studies (ITES), 41 Flower Road, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka. From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Sun Jul 16 03:57:37 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Fri, 28 Jul 1995 19:57:37 +30000 Subject: Exploitation of marine fish and invertebrates, Part I Message-ID: From: bd268 at freenet.carleton.ca (Jaime Baquero) To: coral-list at reef.aoml.erl.gov Subject: Exploitation of marine fish and invertebrates Reply-To: bd268 at freenet.carleton.ca Part I. I'd like to share with you some thoughts and insights learned during the last 9 years in which I've been studying the exploitation of marine fish and invertebrates for the marine aquarium trade. In the last decade, the marine aquarium technology has undergone a remarkable transformation. Along with the introduction of new filtration systems and the application in the marine hobby of existing technology , the aquarist has found the means to create and control better conditions to keep in captivity the aquarium inhabitants. As a result of this new technology, the marine aquarium hobby also reflects a transformation, from the keeping of only fish and a few invertebrates to the captivity of "artificial minireefs". Intensive commercial exploitation of hundreds of species of marine fish and invertebrates as well as "live rock", during the las decade, to satisfy the demand of aquarium hobbyists, have become controversial issues among marine biologists, the scientific community, environmentally oriented groups, aquarium hobbyists ant the general public. As a consequence of this "NEW AQUARIUM TECHNOLOGY" and the extensive diversity of marine life available for the artificial minireef keeping, the marine aquarium industry has expanded to a large profitable enterprise. The use of sodium cyanide, the most environmentally unfriendly method of collecting fish for the marine aquarium trade, continues to contribute to the degradation of coral reefs in the Philippines and has now spread to Indonesia. This issue has been the subjet of many articles and discussion within the aquarium industry and among aquarium hobbyists for many years but their contribution to solve the problem has been very modest. Jaime Baquero Marine Biologist From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Sun Jul 16 03:58:54 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Fri, 28 Jul 1995 19:58:54 +30000 Subject: Exploitation, Part II Message-ID: From: bd268 at freenet.carleton.ca (Jaime Baquero) To: coral-list at reef.aoml.erl.gov Subject: Exploitation of marine fish and invertebrates Reply-To: bd268 at freenet.carleton.ca Part II It is well known that many fish perish at the time of collection through cyanide poisoning. Others die at the collection points (fisherfolk communities),exporters holding facilities, in transit to the importer country or at the importer holding facilities. The remainder die within a few days or weeks of thei arrival at the pet shop or at the aquarium hobbyist's home. Unfortunatly, sodium cyanide is not the only factor responsible for the high mortality registered at each level of the marine fish and invertebrates trade. Other factors contributing to mortality include: -Unsuitability of certain species to survive in captivity: From the 932 different species of marine fish collected for the aquarium hobby,close to 400 species could be considered target species (more frequently found at the pet shop). From these, 280 are considered as species that are from moderate to difficult to keep in captivity, and as a consequence, register high mortality rates, 100% in some cases. i.e. members of the families: Chaetodontidae Ephippidae Syngnathidae Muraenidae Carcharhinidae Lamnidae Pomacanthidae Labridae -Incompatibility of aquaria inhabitants -Unbalanced diet -Starvation -Aquarium inhabitants overfeeding (pollution) -Aquaria overcrowding -Imbalance between chemical, physical and biological conditions in the holding tanks -Physiological damage inflicted to the fish when: * Collected * Handled and held at collection points at exporters,importers and retai- lers holding facilities -Fish diseases (parasites or bacterial infections) -Copper poisoning ( at exporters', importers',retailers' and hobbyists' tanks) -Poor aquarium management at importers, retailers and aquarium hobbyists holding facilities -Lack of information among fishers, exporters, importers, retailers and aquarium hobbyists From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Sun Jul 16 17:02:46 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Sat, 29 Jul 1995 09:02:46 +30000 Subject: The Coral Reef Society, Poland Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sat, 29 Jul 1995 10:19:18 -6000 From: Slawomir Kosielinski To whom it may concern It is my big pleasure to announce that a Coral Reef Society, a non profit organisation, was founded in Warsaw, Poland, in the beginning of 1995. Its members are mainly biologist, but all who love to explore underwater beauty and riches are welcome. The main aim of the Society is: * to acquire and widen knowledge about coral reefs * to organise expeditions to coral reefs * to share knowledge concerning underwater life * to stand up for clean environment, particularly in coral reefs area * to co-operate with similar organisations. We have organised two expeditions to the Red Sea's reefs so far. During these expeditions 30 scuba-divers spent 150 hours under water. About 6000 photos were made and about 250 kilograms of coral pieces and shells were collected from the beaches Eastern Egypt. Later, the members of Coral Reef Society had more then 50 lectures concerning reef biology in high-shools and universities. All collected material was given away to 63 schools. Here is the board of our organisation: 1. Grzegorz Soszka President malakology 2. Pawel Szewczak wice President nature, botany, marin and reef aquaristic 3. Pawel Szpygiel Secretary biology, underwater photography So if you are excited or just interested in coral reefs wonders, please contact us immediately: Pawel Szewczak Darwina Str. 8/122 03-484 Warsaw Poland phone +0048 22 189526 by e-mail contact to: Slawomir Kosielinski kosiel at icm.edu.pl or kosiel at ikp.atm.com.pl Warsaw, 29 July 1995 From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Sun Jul 16 17:16:39 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Sat, 29 Jul 1995 09:16:39 +30000 Subject: List-Server "how-to" documentation Message-ID: There has been a little confusion (including mine!) on the operation of the list-server, so the basics are being resent herewith for your review. I apologize for any inconvenience. Sincerely yours, Jim Hendee hendee at coral.aoml.erl.gov ================================================================= The purpose of the Coral Health and Monitoring list-server is to provide a forum for Internet discussions and announcements among coral health researchers pertaining to coral reef health and monitoring throughout the world. Appropriate subjects for discussion might include: o bleaching events o outbreaks of coral diseases o high predation on coral reefs o environmental monitoring sites o incidences of coral spawnings o shipwrecks on reefs o international meetings and symposia o funding opportunities o job openings in coral research o marine sanctuary news o new coral-related publications o announcements of college courses in coral reef ecology o coral health initiatives o new and historical data availability o controversial topics in coral reef ecology o recent reports on coral research o new coral-related journals -- To Subscribe to the List -- Since you just got this message, you are already subscribed to the list! However, if you wish to instruct others how to subscribe to the list, have them send e-mail to majordomo at reef.aoml.erl.gov, with the following message (only!) in the body of the text: subscribe coral-list -- To Un-Subscribe from the List -- To un-subscribe from the list, send e-mail to majordomo at reef.aoml.erl.gov, with the following message (only!) in the body of the text: unsubscribe coral-list "Your Name" -- To Post a Comment or Announcement -- To post a message to the list, simply address your comments or announcements to coral-list at reef.aoml.erl.gov. The message will be circulated to all members of the list. The members may respond to you directly, or post their comments to the list for all to read. -- Help -- To see a list of the functions and services available from the list-server, send an e-mail message to majordomo at reef.aoml.erl.gov, with the following message (only!) in the body of the text: help -- Problems -- If you have any problems concerning the list, please feel free to drop a line to: hendee at aoml.erl.gov. We hope you enjoy the list! Sincerely yours, Jim Hendee Louis Florit Philippe Dubosq From bd268 at freenet.carleton.ca Sun Jul 30 17:11:24 1995 From: bd268 at freenet.carleton.ca (Jaime Baquero) Date: Sun, 30 Jul 1995 17:11:24 -0400 Subject: Exploitation Part III Message-ID: <199507302111.RAA10113@freenet3.carleton.ca> Strategies to solve the problem. Ocean Voice International and the Haribon Foundation for Conservation of Natural Resources, are working on Environmental Education and Sustainable Livelihoods in the Philippines. This project is funded by the EDSP (Envi- ronment and Development Support Program) through the Canadian Environmental Network by CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency). We are grateful to these organizations for their support of economically, socially and envi- ronmentally sustainable development. One of the components of this project is related to the development of the Federation of Aquarium Fish Collectors (PMP), which is looking for alterna- tive methods of marketing the healthy, net caught fish. To achieve this goal it was considered to evaluate the handling methods and holding facilities, that fishermen and exporters are actually applying. I'd like to share with all of you, the findings of my recent trip to the Philippines. Importers as well as retailers and aquarium hobbyists buying ornamental fish from the Philippines and Indonesia are recording high mortality rates. In a previous article (Sea Wind, July-Sept 92), I underlined the fact that cyanide was not the only factor responsible for these high mortality rates. One of the most important factors is the physiological damage inflicted on the fish by fisherfolk and by exporters. (Mis)Handling Methods and Holding Facilities The ordeal of the fish starts when it is removed from the reef. But this is only the starts of its miseries.... Once ashore, there are no holding facili- ties and submerged cages are not widespread because of the lack of protected ares, the tides and theft. Thus the fish are dumped from the plastic bags in to a bucket with up to 30 fish at once. The fish are then transferred abruptly into bags filled with new water from the shore line. Depending on the species, they are bagged individually if they are expensive, or by pairs in smaller bags, or several in larger bags. The bagged fish remain on the floor or on wooden structures ususally 3-5 days before they're shipped ( in this case to Manila). During this time water from the bag is changed once a day. Expensive fish fish get two water changes a day. The water changes are always abrupt. Small inexpensive do not get water changes for 3-5 days. I observed large bags with, for example, more than 10 poisonous Lionfish per bag, 15 fragile Butterflyfish per bag and more than 70 Damselfish in the same bag. It is common to see fish dying from ammonia poisoning in the bags. Once the fish are delivered to Manila (6 hrs from Masinloc in this case) to the exporter, the fish are screened to detect damaged fins, injuries or sickness. Such fish called rejects, are discared, sold for the local market and very seldom returned to the sea by the buyer or middleman. The accepted fish pass to the main system, with no acclimation process. The transfers are made abruptly. Now the fish are ready to be exported. There is no quarantine period. It was found that some exporters, not all, do not feed the fish that remain in their aquaria. When an order is placed, the fish are packed in shipping water, which could come from the Manila Bay, or, in the case of one exporter, as far away as 160 km from Manila. This water is poured into large pools, without filte- ring out the plankton or other kinds of material in suspension. Jaime Baquero. From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Tue Jul 18 20:07:16 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Mon, 31 Jul 1995 12:07:16 +30000 Subject: Shutdown for Hurricane Erin Message-ID: Greetings, Hurricane Erin is unfortunately bearing down on us, so we are going to have to shut down the Coral Health and Monitoring World-Wide Web Home Page and list-server immediately. Hopefully we'll be able to start right back up after the hurricane is past. Thank you for your support. Have a nice day! Sincerely yours, Jim Hendee ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | | | Coral Health and Monitoring Program | | Ocean Chemistry Division | | Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorlogical Laboratories | | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | | Miami, Florida | | USA | | | | Email: coral at coral.aoml.erl.gov | | World-Wide Web: http://coral.aoml.erl.gov | | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From bhaskell at ocean.nos.noaa.gov Mon Jul 31 13:50:50 1995 From: bhaskell at ocean.nos.noaa.gov (Haskell, B.) Date: 31 Jul 1995 12:50:50 -0500 Subject: White line disease outbreak Message-ID: An outbreak of white line disease has been reported in the Upper Florida Keys around Conch Reef. This disease is infecting Dichoceonia stokesii and is characterized by bleaching or death of the colony from the ground up. It often looks like bleaching but seems to be fatal. Any info is greatly appreciated. Benjamin Haskell Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary From kosiel at merkury.atm.com.pl Tue Jul 11 11:40:40 1995 From: kosiel at merkury.atm.com.pl (S3awomir Kosieliqski) Date: Tue, 11 Jul 1995 17:40:40 +0200 Subject: Our Reef Society (Poland) Message-ID: <9508011540.AA26575@atm.com.pl> Dear Friends! Reef Society is a non-profit organization for enthusiats. We make expeditions (already two were performed: in November 1994 and February 1995., both to Sharm-el Naga in Egypt). observations, underwater photography and popularizations of science are of science are our hobby - at present no one of us do this for living. Among us are hydrobiologists, zoologists, botanbotanic and "common divers", in their number- instructors. Two person are engaded in scientific photography. We gave about 70 lectures, mainly at schools. Two books are planned for this - or next year. We will heartily welcome any help or proposition of cooperation in the fields of popularization, exploration and editions, in future maybe also in science Thanks for your attention! Slawomir Kosielinski The Coral Reef Society, Poland Warsaw, 1st August 1995 Slawomir Kosielinski From M_FURNAS at aims.gov.au Sun Jul 30 19:13:49 1995 From: M_FURNAS at aims.gov.au (M_FURNAS at aims.gov.au) Date: Mon, 31 Jul 1995 09:13:49 +1000 Subject: REEF LAGOONS Message-ID: <01HTIJKWSXV68WW5ZP@AIMS.GOV.AU> 31 July 1995 Dear Lagoon Lovers As you are all aware, the ICRS meeting in Panama is coming soon. Dr. Loic Charpy (ORSTOM) and I are organizing a symposium on reef lagoons. The sessions will be prepared to cater to all aspects of reef lagoons: morphology, geology, biology, chemistry, oceanography. Size doesn't matter - from small backreef lagoons, atolls and larger shelf systems. If you want to be part of this, please send me your abstract by the first week of October so Loic and I can organize a program. I can be reached at (virtually all media acceptable) Miles Furnas Australian Institute of Marine Science P.M.B. No. 3 Townsville MC, Queensland 4810 Australia Phone: 61-77-534211 Fax: 61-77-725852 email m.furnas at aims.gov.au See you there Miles Furnas From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Fri Jul 21 16:53:39 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 08:53:39 +30000 Subject: Alligator Reef data Message-ID: Historical reformatted C-MAN data for Alligator Reef (24 50.74 N, 30 37.34 W), in the Florida Keys, have been posted to our C-MAN WWW Page at: http://coral.aoml.erl.gov/cman/cman_menu.html. The period covered is Feb 1, 1985 to Dec 4, 1987. From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Thu Jul 27 19:29:06 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Wed, 9 Aug 1995 11:29:06 +30000 Subject: SEAKEYS Abstract Message-ID: As part of our continuing effort to distribute information regarding coral health and monitoring, we are circulating the following abstract: Ogden,-J.C.; Porter,-J.W.; Smith,-N.P.; Szmant,-A.M.; Jaap,-W.C.; Forcucci,-D.1994. A long-term interdisciplinary study of the Florida Keys seascape. BULL.-MAR.-SCI. 54(3):1059-1071 The SEAKEYS (Sustained Ecological Research Related to Management of the Florida Keys Seascape) program is a research framework which encompasses the large geographic scale and long time scale of natural marine processes and ecosystem variation upon which human impact is superimposed. The need for interdisciplinary long-term research in coastal ecosystems in critical as we anticipate extraordinary resource management obligations and scientific opportunities in the next decade. The core of the program is six instrumented, satellite-linked monitoring stations which span the 220 mile-long coral reef tract and Florida Bay and which, since 1991, have documented the potential impact of summer heating, winter cold fronts, storms, and distant floods. Meso- scale physical oceanographic studies have documented the net flow of water from Florida Bay to Hawk Channel which provides a potential mechanism to link water quality in Florida Bay with the waters of Sanctuary. Water column and sediment nutrient studies have shown elevated nutrient levels in nearshore waters decreasing sharply to low levels near the offshore coral reef tract. There is a potential link of nearshore and offshore via a seaward deflection in the near-bottom flow. Regional nutrient dynamics are complicated by periodic upwelling driven by the Florida Current. A series of long-term photomosaic stations have tracked coral community dynamics for more than 5 years and have indicated a loss of over 40% in coral cover at some sites. This loss may be linked to declining water quality in Florida Bay. As a large marine ecosystem, the new Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and adjoining parks and reserve must be studied and managed holistically if human use of the region is to be sustained. From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Fri Jul 28 05:24:25 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Wed, 9 Aug 1995 21:24:25 +30000 Subject: El Nino; Coral-associated marine heterotrophs Message-ID: We are attempting to catch up on our coral health abstracts (listed at our Home Page http://coral.aoml.erl.gov), namely from 1994 to present. Here are two from 1994: Lough, J.M. 1994. Climate variation and El Nino-Southern Oscillation events on the Great Barrier Reef: 1958 to 1987. Coral Reefs 13(3): 181-195. Seasonal and inter-annual variation of several surface climate variables near the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) are described for the 30-year period, 1958-1987. Large inter-annual variability of rainfall and river flow in coastal Queensland is linked to the aperiodic influences of El Nino-Southern Oscillation events. These events also affect sea surface temperature and wind fields, though the inter-annual variability of these variables is not as large as rainfall and river flow. The major impacts on waters of the GBR appear to be greatly increased freshwater inputs, reduced surface radiation (and thus light levels) and enhanced tropical cyclone activity during anti-El Nino events. El Nino events have less effect on climate of the GBR because they tend to maintain winter-like conditions. The effects of this background of high variability in the physical environment on reef processes must be considered when examining changes in such processes, changes in climate (e.g. due to global warming) or increases in anthropogenic impacts. ============================ Ritchie, K.B.; Smith, G.W. 1994. Carbon source utilization patterns of coral associated marine heterotrophs. 3rd International Marine Biotechnology Conference: Program, Abstracts and List of Participants. International Advisory Comm. of the Int. Marine Biotechnology Conference 1994, Tromsoe Norway TROMSOE NORWAY TROMSOE UNIVERSITY 1994 p. 118 Very little information exists on the structure of bacterial communities associated with scleractinian corals. Interest, however, in both community structure and changes in structure, has increased due to the realization that bacteria may play a major role in certain types of bleaching events. We have determined carbon utilization patterns for heterotrophic bacterial communities associated with the hard corals Monastrea annularis and Acropora cervicornis. Surface samples were taken from both healthy and bleached areas of the corals growing off the coast of San Salvador Island, Bahamas. Similar population shifts were observed in both species during bleaching, and results indicate a pathogenic bacterium may be responsible for white band disease. From coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV Sat Jul 29 19:40:52 1995 From: coral at coral.AOML.ERL.GOV (Coral Health and Monitoring Program) Date: Fri, 11 Aug 1995 11:40:52 +30000 Subject: Coral reef biodiversity abstract Message-ID: As part of our continuing effort to distribute information regarding coral health and monitoring, we are circulating the following abstract: Sebens, K.P. 1994. Biodiversity of coral reefs: What are we losing and why? Am. Zool. 34(1): 115-133. Coral reefs are threatened by numerous anthropogenic impacts, some of which have already had major effects worldwide. These unique tropical environments harbor a high diversity of corals, reef invertebrates, fish and other animals and plants. In most taxa, the species diversity of reef-associated organisms is poorly understood because many of the species have yet to be collected and described. High coral mortality has been associated with natural events such as hurricanes, predator outbreaks and periods of high temperature, but has also resulted from excess nutrients in sewage and from specific pollutants. Reef corals and associated organisms are also threatened by the possibility of global warming which will result in rising sea levels and periods of increased temperature stress, and which may also bring increased storm frequency and intensity. Although the recent extensive episodes of coral bleaching in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific cannot be causally related to global warming at this time, the close link between bleaching and temperature suggests that global warming will result in severe changes in coral assemblages. Major reef destruction has followed outbreaks of the predatory seastar Acanthaster planci in the Pacific. Although this is considered part of a natural disturbance cycle, there are indications that altered land use patterns and reduction of predators on this seastar by human activities may have increased the severity of outbreaks. Recreational and commercial use of reefs has also increased, and has caused extensive damage, especially near areas of high population density. One of the most obvious and widespread losses to reef biota is the reduction in fish populations from intense overfishing in most reef areas of the world. Coasts without adequately managed reefs have suffered intense overfishing for both local and export purposes, to the point where the positive effects of fish on those reefs have been compromised. The combination of these destructive factors has altered reefs in all localities, and many that were once considered protected by distance and low population density are now being exploited as well. On the positive side, improved understanding of ecological processes on reefs combined with concerted conservation efforts have managed to protect some extensive areas of reef for the future.