From tvs at uskonet.com Wed May 1 02:44:39 2002 From: tvs at uskonet.com (Tania van Schalkwyk) Date: Wed, 1 May 2002 10:44:39 +0400 Subject: FW: LILE AUX BENITIERS GOES ONLINE & INTERNATIONAL!!! Message-ID: > INTERNATIONAL UPDATE: > > After an international petition (which is still circulating), many > concerned individuals & organisations responded to an appeal to write > letters to the Government of Mauritius expressing their opinions & > statements of opposition or concern RE: development on L'ile aux Benitiers > and the fate of this islet. > > Now, Africa Geographic, a magazine "about a continent worth saving" with > articles about Africa's rich heritage & wildlife, exciting travel tips & > opportunities, etc. > has published information RE: L'ile aux Benitiers and the conservation > fight to save the islet, under the title of: > Mauritian Isle Under Threat. > The information is available in their current issue (May 2002). > Alternatively, you can go to their home web page, where the L'ile aux > Benitiers issue is hilighted. The website is worth checking out. > www.africa-geographic.com > > > So... > LILE AUX BENITIERS HAS GONE INTERNATIONAL & ONLINE! > > Should you know of any other publications (national & international) or > websites hilighting the fight to save L'ile aux Benitiers, please forward > the information to haberland at intnet.mu > > Keep up the fight! > > Tania > (a concerned citizen) > > PS I will be offline during the month of May. Please address all queries, > comments & info to: haberland at intnet.mu > bearing in mind that answers may be slow ! --------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: winmail.dat winmail.dat Type: Notepad (application/x-unknown-content-type-Notepad.exe) Encoding: base64 From roderick at nature.berkeley.edu Wed May 1 11:57:58 2002 From: roderick at nature.berkeley.edu (George Roderick) Date: Wed, 1 May 2002 08:57:58 -0700 Subject: Postion: Moorea, Research Scientist Message-ID: Academic Coordinator (Research Scientist), permanent, nine-month (paid over 12 months), at the Univ. Calif., Berkeley in the College of Natural Resources associated with the Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research Station (Moorea, French Polynesia). Available 1 June 2002. Salary range Academic Coordinator, $54,240-$59,436. Initial appointment dates are 6/1/02-5/31/03 with expectations of yearly reappointment depending upon availability of funds. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in an appropriate field, including biological, physical, social, or human sciences, 2 years of postdoctoral experience, as well as experience as a director or manager. The Research Director will develop and coordinate research programs focused on French Polynesia as a model system to study the interaction of biological, cultural, and physical processes in the construction and maintenance of biocultural communities. She or he will lead the Polynesia Education and Research Laboratories at the Gump Station in Moorea and will spend extended periods of time in French Polynesia. Applicants should have experience of working in an international setting (preferably in Polynesia), preferably island systems, and have familiarity with field stations. A working knowledge of French is essential. The appointee will help to develop innovative undergraduate and graduate teaching programs in Moorea and can apply for Adjunct Faculty status. The candidate must have strong oral and written communication skills, demonstrated leadership abilities, and a proven record in obtaining research grants and other fundraising. Applicants should submit CV, statement of research and teaching interests, and names and addresses of three references to: George Roderick, Director, Gump Station, College of Natural Resources, 201 Wellman Hall, MC 3112, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3112. Additional information can be found at http://nature.berkeley.edu/gump. Applications must be received by 15 May 2002. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. -- George Roderick ------------------------------------------------------------- Faculty Director Gump South Pacific Research Laboratory, Moorea, French Polynesia http://nature.berkeley.edu/gump and Environmental Science, Policy and Management 201 Wellman Hall MC 3112, University of California Berkeley, CA 94720-3112 USA tel (510) 643-3326, dept. (510) 642-3327, fax (510) 642-7428 http://nature.berkeley.edu/~roderick, http://nature.berkeley.edu/evolab ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the From tim_daw at yahoo.com Fri May 3 05:38:04 2002 From: tim_daw at yahoo.com (Tim Daw) Date: Fri, 3 May 2002 10:38:04 +0100 Subject: Reef exploitation indicators for SE Asian reefs Message-ID: Dear List Members I am currently looking for evidence of overexploitation and reef degradation from data collected by volunteers over 2.5 years on the coral reefs in northern Sabah, Borneo. It appears that the reefs are very heavily over-exploited and to illustrate this am looking for comparative data from reefs the region on the following variables: - Size/frequency distributions and/or densities of commercially valuable fish measured by UVC. Particulary for Plectropomus spp, Cheilinus undulatus, Cromileptes altivelis as well as generally for Balistids, Lutjanids, Lethrinids, Haemulids, Scarids and Groupers. - Densities of Diadema, Tridacnid clams and edible Holothurians. I'd be particularly interested in data from protected or well-managed sites and highly overfished sites to compare our data with that from best and worst case scenarios. So far, I've found some good fish density data from Indonesia and the Philippines in papers by Pet-Soede et al and Russ and Acala. With thanks for any assistance, Cheers, Tim Daw Former Chief Scientist Greenforce Pulau Banggi Project for Coral Reef Biodiversity I am currently analysing data collected by volunteers over 2.5 years on the coral reefs of Banggi, northern Sabah, Borneo. We are looking for indications of reef health and fishing impacts (general overfishing as well as cyanide and blast fishing). I would be really grateful to hear from anyone who might have or be able to direct me towards comparable data as I hope to put the current status of Banggi's reefs and the measurements we have obtained into context by comparison with other (some well-managed if possible) reefs in the region. I'm particularly interested in: - Size/frequency distribution of commercially valuable fish measured by UVC. Particulary for Plectropomus spp, Cheilinus undulatus, Cromileptes altivelis as well as generally for Balistids, Lutjanids, Lethrinids, Haemulids, Scarids and Groupers. - Densities of Diadema and Tridacnid clams - Any studies that have used UVC to estimate biomass of commercial fish. I'd also like to hear if there are any suggestions of other indicators of overfishing and reef health that we could look at from the results of our belt transects for fish and invertebrates and line point transects for substrate and coral growth form. The commonest general indicators for coral condition appear to be Please reply directly to me at this address. Tim Daw ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From nquinn at uwimona.edu.jm Sat May 4 12:24:27 2002 From: nquinn at uwimona.edu.jm (Norman J. Quinn) Date: Sat, 4 May 2002 11:24:27 -0500 Subject: Tropical Marine Invertebrate Biology Summer Course Message-ID: I would like to invite list members wishing to learn more about tropical invertebrates to consider participating in the course offered below. Cheers Norman Quinn Tropical Marine Invertebrate Biology Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory University of the West Indies 30 June - 14 July 2002 Faculty: Prof. Peter F. Newell, Former Head Dept of Biology, University of the South Pacific Dr. Barbara L. Kojis, Director, Division of Fish and Wildlife, Virgin Islands Dr. Norman J. Quinn, Director, Discovery Bay Marine Lab, University of the West Indies Dr. George F. Warner, Director, Center for Marine Science, University of the West Indies Course Aims: To increase students' knowledge of the biology and biodiversity of marine invertebrate animals and of methodologies for marine biological fieldwork through intensive, direct experience. At the end of the course the students will be able to identify marine species within a range of invertebrate phyla. They will understand aspects of the biological relationships between these species and their environments and will be able to apply field and laboratory techniques to study these relationships. They will become proficient at scientific record keeping. Instruction by a widely experienced faculty will be by extensive fieldwork, lectures, and laboratory practicals. This is a 4 credit University of the West Indies course and may be transferable to other universities. Application: The course is open to undergraduates and graduates who have taken at least one year of biology - invertebrate zoology and ecology are recommended. All students must be confident of their swimming skills. Students with scuba certification are encouraged to enroll and will be able to utilize those skills in field activities. Applications should include a cover letter with a paragraph describing why you are interested in the course, transcripts, and two letters of recommendation. Applications will be reviewed on 22 May 2002. Late applications will be considered if space permits. Applications may either be sent by post or email. Fellowships will be available to facilitate participation of students who have difficulty paying the full fee. The fellowships will not be available to assist with paying for meals and accommodation. Evidence for the fellowship must be included when the student submits the application. Facilities: The Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory is a research and teaching institution of the University of the West Indies, ideally located for studies of coral reef environments. It has easy access to a shallow-water lagoon, rocky shores, shallow and deep coral reefs and fossil Pleistocene coral reefs. Diving equipment includes scuba tanks, several boats, compressors, a double lock hyperbaric chamber, digital imaging lab, wet lab, several dry labs, library and workshops. Accommodations include a 10 room dormitory and apartment block. Research space is available to investigators, students and courses from other institutions. For details of fees and space availability contact: Dr. Norman J. Quinn, Director, Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory, PO Box 35, Discovery Bay, St. Ann, Jamaica. Fax (876) 973-3091, phone (876) 973-2241. Email: nquinn at uwimona.edu.jm Norman Quinn, Ph.D. Director Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory PO Box 35 Discovery Bay, St. Ann Jamaica phone (876) 973-2241 fax (876) 973-3091 reply to: nquinn at uwimona.edu.jm "I have made this letter a rather long one, only because I didn't have the leisure to make it shorter." Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) NOTICE: This message contains privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the addressee named above. If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are hereby notified that you must not disseminate, copy or take any action in reliance on it. If you have received this message in error please notify me immediately. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the sender has the authority to issue and specifically states them to be the views of Discovery Bay Marine Lab. 876 973 2241 phone 876 973 3091 ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From T.Done at aims.gov.au Mon May 6 06:43:42 2002 From: T.Done at aims.gov.au (Terry Done) Date: Mon, 06 May 2002 20:43:42 +1000 Subject: What saves corals from bleaching? Message-ID: Message from: Terry Done, Jamie Oliver, Steve Coles, Rod Salm, Gilly Llewellyn, David Obura Dear Coral-Listers; We are writing to ask if you could find some time to complete a bleaching questionnaire that is posted on the ReefBase web site. http://www.reefbase.org/input/bleachingquestionaire/index.asp You can answer it on-line, or if that is an expensive option for you, you can quickly download an electronic copy of the form from the ReefBase site (see bottom of 1st page of the questionnaire) or request either Terry Done (tdone at aims.gov.au) or Jamie Oliver (j.oliver at cgiar.org) to email you a copy. The questionnaire is one approach to better understand the causes of the patchiness in bleaching response and recovery. We developed it with colleagues at an international workshop in Hawaii May 2001 hosted by The Nature Conservancy and the WWF (see proceedings at www.conserveonline.org). It aims to establish the best predictors of resistance to coral bleaching and mortality during bleaching, and of resilience or recovery on affected reefs following bleaching events. Responses to the questionnaire will allow the testing of a range of hypotheses that various environmental factors actually confer bleaching resistance and promote recovery. The process is intended to help define additional criteria that might be factored into the design and selection of new coral reef MPAs. We have tried to make the questions mostly qualitative or semiquantitative. The strength of the exercise will be in getting lots of returns, not high levels of accuracy in answers to individual questions. We will do multivariate analyses of the returns that allow us to weight individual factors and combinations of factors that best predict vulnerability or resistance during bleaching years, and recoverability following bleaching. We would be very grateful if you would try it for at least one site or two contrasting sites (e.g. one that did and one that did not bleach in 1998 or 2002). Let Terry know if you have any problems, and if it works OK, please fill out as many as you are able to - one per site. Many thanks, Terry Done, Jamie Oliver, Steve Coles, Rod Salm, Gilly Llewellyn, David Obura From ofrijohan at hotmail.com Mon May 6 08:55:13 2002 From: ofrijohan at hotmail.com (ofri johan) Date: Mon, 06 May 2002 12:55:13 +0000 Subject: black band disease molecular microbiology Message-ID: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: Click Here ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From coral_giac at yahoo.com Mon May 6 10:37:50 2002 From: coral_giac at yahoo.com (Hernandez Edwin) Date: Mon, 6 May 2002 07:37:50 -0700 (PDT) Subject: White Plague Alert Message-ID: Dear coral-listers. This short notice is to send you an early alert on White Plague! On March 27, 2002 a single colony of Montastrea annularis (columnar morph) showed what appeared to be a typical lesion of a White Plague II infection. The observation was made at Carlos Rosario Beach, within the Luis Pena Channel Marine Fishery Reserve, Culebra Island (27 km off northeastern Puerto Rico). But on May 4, 2002, approximately 40 colonies of M. annularis where showing similar recent mortality, higly similar to WP-II in their early stages. Also, there was one partially bleached colony of M. annularis, as well as 5 colonies showing a recent outbreak of Black Band Disease. Observations were made in approximately a 200 x 80 m area. This pattern appears to be similar to what we observed during the 2001 outbreak, very sparse signs of the disease in late June, and then a major outbreak by August. However, this year it commenced approximately 3 months earlier than in 2001. No microbiological samples have been collected yet because we were not expecting this during our recent visit. I plan to collect samples during the following trip. Any recommendations on culturing and preserving bacterial isolates are welcome. Please, keep your eyes open if you happen to see anything which may look like WP-II. Best wishes. Edwin __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health.yahoo.com ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From lakehills1 at juno.com Mon May 6 22:15:02 2002 From: lakehills1 at juno.com (George Stettner) Date: Mon, 6 May 2002 19:15:02 -0700 Subject: coral-list-daily V2 #417 Message-ID: Effective immediatly, there is an Aquarist position available at the San Antonio Zoological Gardens and Aquarium.Aquarists perform a variety of tasks related to the handling, care, and maintenance of fishes, invertebrates, and other aquatic vertebrae along with their enviroments.The Aquarist reports to the department Supervisor. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS *Establish and maintain positive, cooperative, and effective working relations with fellow employees. *Constantly exhibit a customer service attitude, a smile, and an obvious interest in visitor comfort and service. *Communicate with the public in a courtious and tactful manner and assist visitors with questions and directions to various areas of the Zoo. Address the visitor-do not wait to be asked. *Remove trash and debris from public areas; i.e. pick up litter whenever you see it. *Performing daily cleaning and maintenance of enclosures, service areas, and holding fascilities. *Assisting with medication of species in accordance with instructions of the Zoo Verterinarian. *Observing and evaluating animal behavior and conditions, and reporting to the department Supervisor on a daily basis. *Providing assistance in setting up exhibits. *Driving motor vehicles or operating mechanical equipment. *Any and all other duties as assigned. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITIES *Knowledge of fishes and aquatic vertebrae behavior and biology. *Able to follow oral and written instructions. *Able to communicate in English. *Able to work safely with delicate, wild, and frequently dangerous species. *Able to lift heavey (80 lbs.) objects from ground level, move approximatly 10 feet, and return to ground level. *Able to open, enter, exit, and secure animal enclosures. *Suffeciant strngth, agiliyt, and coordination to net capture, amd/or restrain animals of extreme size, strngth, and agility. *Sufficiant delicacy to handle, examine, and move without harming, sick, injured, or struggling small animals. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS *Able to work weekends, holidays, and occasional after-hour assignments. *Valid Texas driver's license. *Associates degree in wildlife/fisheries managment, zoology, biology, or related field. *One year aquarist experience. Starting salary is $7.87/hr. This goes to $8.11/hr. after 4 months. If you, or you know someone that is wanting to get into this field, please send a resume to, San Antonio Zoo 3903 N. St. Mary's ST. San Antonio, TX 78212 George Stettner Aquarium/Reptile Supervisor San Antonio Zoo ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From lakehills1 at juno.com Tue May 7 00:48:50 2002 From: lakehills1 at juno.com (George Stettner) Date: Mon, 6 May 2002 21:48:50 -0700 Subject: Position Opening -correction Message-ID: Let this be a lesson, don't rush, use spell check. Thanks Geo. Effective immediately, there is an Aquarist position available at the San Antonio Zoological Gardens and Aquarium. Aquarists perform a variety of tasks related to the handling, care, and maintenance of fishes, invertebrates, and other aquatic vertebrae along with their environments Aquarist reports to the department Supervisor. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS *Establish and maintain positive, cooperative, and effective working relations with fellow employees. *Constantly exhibit a customer service attitude, a smile, and an obvious interest in visitor comfort and service. *Communicate with the public in a courteous and tactful manner and assist visitors with questions and directions to various areas of the Zoo. Address the visitor-do not wait to be asked. *Remove trash and debris from public areas; i.e. pick up litter whenever you see it. *Performing daily cleaning and maintenance of enclosures, service areas, and holding facilities. *Assisting with medication of species in accordance with instructions of the Zoo Veterinarian. *Observing and evaluating animal behavior and conditions, and reporting to the department Supervisor on a daily basis. *Providing assistance in setting up exhibits. *Driving motor vehicles or operating mechanical equipment. *Any and all other duties as assigned. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITIES *Knowledge of fishes and aquatic vertebrae behavior and biology. *Able to follow oral and written instructions. *Able to communicate in English. *Able to work safely with delicate, wild, and frequently dangerous species. *Able to lift heavy (80 lbs.) objects from ground level, move approximately 10 feet, and return to ground level. *Able to open, enter, exit, and secure animal enclosures. *Sufficient strength, agility, and coordination to net capture, and/or restrain animals of extreme size, strength, and agility. *Sufficient delicacy to handle, examine, and move without harming, sick, injured, or struggling small animals. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS *Able to work weekends, holidays, and occasional after-hour assignments. *Valid Texas driver's license. *Associates degree in wildlife/fisheries management, zoology, biology, or related field. *One year aquarist experience. Starting salary is $7.87/hr. This goes to $8.11/hr. after 4 months. If you, or you know someone that is wanting to get into this field, please send a resume to, San Antonio Zoo 3903 N. St. Mary's ST. San Antonio, TX 78212 George Stettner Aquarium/Reptile Supervisor San Antonio Zoo ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From jim.hendee at noaa.gov Tue May 7 06:33:44 2002 From: jim.hendee at noaa.gov (Jim Hendee) Date: Tue, 07 May 2002 06:33:44 -0400 Subject: coral-list, CHAMP Page shut-down Message-ID: Ladies & Gentlemen, Coral-list and the CHAMP Home Page will likely be shut down temporarily this week so that we can move the list over to our new server. If you have something important to post, I suggest you post it today, then wait until I announce that the move has taken place before you post anything new. Thank you for your cooperation. Cheers, Jim coral-list admin ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From rginsburg at rsmas.miami.edu Tue May 7 08:49:25 2002 From: rginsburg at rsmas.miami.edu (rginsburg at rsmas.miami.edu) Date: Tue, 07 May 2002 08:49:25 -0400 Subject: Cuban Coral Reef Symposium Message-ID: SYMPOSIUM ON CORAL REEFS, TOGETHER FOR THEIR CONSERVATION Cayo Coco, Cuba September 16-20, 2002 TOPICS: 1. Integrated management and sustainable use of coral reef: marine reserves, protected areas and tourist use. 2. Contribution of fishermen, divers and volunteers of the communities to a status monitoring of the coral reef. 3. Environmental education to promote the protection of the coral reef. REGISTRATION: $150/person ACCOMODATIONS, MEALS AND TRANSFERS FROM CAYO COCO AIRPORT: Three meals and room (double occupancy) in 4 star hotel Approximately $360/for four nights. TRAVEL DIRECT MIAMI-HAVANA American citizens can fly direct from Miami to Havana and return on one of the daily charter flights for $330 uder the Travel Restrictions of the US Dept. of Treasurey Office of Foreign Assets Control. "Full-time professions whose travel is directly related to professsional research in their professional areas, provided that their research: (1) is of a non-commercial academic nature, (2) comprises a full work schedule in Cuba, and (3) has a substantial likelihood of public dissemination" OFAC (07913-99) For reservations or further information on air travel and transfers to Cayo Coco contact Marazul Travel 1-800-223-5334 or malonso at marazulcharters.com Mida Alonso can take care of your needs DAILY DIVING OR SNORKLING: A one-tank dive in Jardines de la Rey @ $22 or a 3.5 hour cruise and snorkle @Cayo Paredon Grande. POST-SYMPOSIUM DIVE TRIPS: Diving in Santa Lucia de Cuba or Maria la Gorda. FOR THE COMPLETE SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT WITH FULL INFORMATION INCLUDING PRESENTING A PAPER OR POSTER, CONTACT MARTA ARCOS comercial at marlin.cha.cyt.cu FOR INFORMATION ON TRAVEL TO CUBA SEE WWW.Cubalinda.com ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From Tom.Hourigan at noaa.gov Tue May 7 16:56:47 2002 From: Tom.Hourigan at noaa.gov (Tom Hourigan) Date: Tue, 07 May 2002 16:56:47 -0400 Subject: Diagonal butterflyfish Message-ID: Dear Roi, I assume that you are referring to Chaetodon fasciatus? (C. auriga, the threadfin butterflyfish, is also sometimes referred to as the diagonal butterflyfish). I have not observed C. fasciatus, but its coloration (dark yellows with black and bright white patches) is reminiscent of C. lunula and C. quadrimaculatus. The contrasting black and white is thought to increase visibility in low light situations. Hobson (1974 - Fish Bull. 72:915-1031) presented gut content evidence that C. lunula fed at least to some extent at night in Hawaii. My own work on C. quadrimaculatus (Hourigan 1986, 1987) showed that this species fed on a lunar day rather than on a solar day in Hawaii. During the new moon, pairs fed primarily during the day, with the onset of feeding shifting about 50 minutes later on subsequent days, so that by the time of the full moon they were sheltered most of the day and feeding at night! This is the only example of such an unusual diel cycle for a coral reef fish of which I am aware. C. quadrimaculatus, like C. fasciatus forms pairs and feeds in part on coral polyps. C. lunula in Hawaii, in contrast does not seem to form pairs or feed on corals. It is interesting that the permanent coloration of C. quadrimaculatus is very similar to the temporary nocturnal coloration of several butterflyfish species (e.g., Chaetodon citrinellus, C. melanotus, C. tinkeri and C. trifascialis). I would be very interested to learn if C. fasciatus is feeding at least partially at night. Tom Hourigan, T.F. (1987). The Behavioral Ecology of Three Species of Hawaiian Butterflyfishes, (Fam. Chaetodontidae). Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Hawaii. Hourigan, T.F. (1986). An experimental removal of a territorial pomacentrid: Effects on the occurrence and behavior of competitors. Env. Biol. Fish. 15(3):161-169. Roi Holzman wrote: > hallow alldoes anybody knows a reference on the diel behavior and activity > of the above fish or a similar butterflyfish ? > > thanks in advanceRoi Holzman > roi at pob.huji.ac.il > InterUniversity Institute For Marine Science of Eilat > P.O. box 469, Eilat, 88103, Israel. > Phone: 972-8-6360129/143 > Fax: 972-8-6374329 Thomas F. Hourigan, Ph.D. Coral Reef and Biodiversity Coordinator Office of Habitat Conservation -- Tel: (301) 713-2319 NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service -- Fax: (301) 713-0376 Thomas F. Hourigan, Ph.D. Coral Reef and Biodiversity Coordinator Office of Habitat Conservation -- Tel: (301) 713-2319 NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service -- Fax: (301) 713-0376 1315 East-West Highway Fax: (301) 713-0376 Silver Spring Work: (301) 713-2319 MD 20850 U.S.A. Additional Information: Last Name Hourigan First Name Tom Version 2.1 From florit at aoml.noaa.gov Thu May 9 14:16:56 2002 From: florit at aoml.noaa.gov (Louis Florit) Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 14:16:56 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Welcome to the new coral-list mail server! Message-ID: From: "Jim Hendee" Organization: DOC/NOAA/AOML/OCD Greetings, Coral-Listers! I am happy to announce that coral-list is now installed on our super-server at AOML. Thanks go to our programming and systems support team here at AOML: Louis Florit CHAMP majordomo/sendmail and Oracle expert Clarke Jeffris AOML/OCD Systems Administrator John McKeever AOML Systems Administrator Monika Gurnee CHAMP WebMiss Our new server is a Beowulf 8-cluster Linux server, which will also as home for our Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP) Web Page (and various other coral-related Web pages), our new Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS) services (real-time reports and Oracle database access), and various other coral-related duties. Let us know if you have any questions or comments. Cheers, Jim ---------------------------------------------------- James C. Hendee, Ph.D. Coral Health and Monitoring Program Ocean Chemistry Division Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Department of Commerce 4301 Rickenbacker Causeway Miami, FL 33149-1026 Voice: (305) 361-4396 Fax: (305) 361-4392 Email: jim.hendee at noaa.gov Web: http://www.coral.noaa.gov ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov Thu May 9 14:43:32 2002 From: Jim.Hendee at noaa.gov (Jim Hendee) Date: Thu, 09 May 2002 14:43:32 -0400 Subject: Cuba Symposium Message-ID: A more complete announcement to the "Symposium on Coral Reef: Together for their Conservation" may be seen at: http://www.coral.noaa.gov/cuba/cuba-2nd.pdf Cheers, Jim ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From tomshannon at erols.com Thu May 9 17:25:22 2002 From: tomshannon at erols.com (Tom Shannon) Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 17:25:22 -0400 Subject: Aplysina fistularis Locales Message-ID: A collegue and I will be travelling to the Florida Keys in June in search of live Aplysina fistularis for a study of the chemical ecology of these sponges. Given the ever-changing "demographics" of reefs, our limited budget, and limited time, we would be grateful for any information on the whereabouts of reefs within the Florida Keys that are rich in this species... recent sightings please. Email to tomshannon at erols.com Thank you, Tom Shannon St. Mary's College St. Mary's City, MD From kosborne at aims.gov.au Fri May 10 00:58:27 2002 From: kosborne at aims.gov.au (Kate Osborne) Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 14:58:27 +1000 Subject: AIMS reef monitoring - new articles and report Message-ID: There is some new material on the AIMS reef monitoring web page. http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/reef-monitoring/cots02/cots02.htm This article summarizes some published information on the relationship between Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) and the coral that they prey upon. Includes a 6MB movie of Rib Reef before, during and one year after a COTS outbreak. http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/reef-monitoring/coral-diseases/diseasecp.html In this article we publish some summary results of reef monitoring surveys of "white syndrome" and black band disease on Great Barrier Reef (GBR) survey reefs. http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/reef-monitoring/ltm/northis/01-northcontents.htm A report detailing the results of a baseline survey of the Northumberland Islands (southern GBR). The url below is a link to three small quicktime movies showing the general habitat at three islands where video surveys were conducted. movie link http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/reef-monitoring/ltm/northis/figure4.htm Kate Osborne Reef Monitoring A.I.M.S P.M.B 3, Townsville MC, 4810 ph 61 7 47534354 fax 61 7 47534288 www.aims.gov.au/reef-monitoring ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From mwarner at UDel.Edu Fri May 10 14:59:20 2002 From: mwarner at UDel.Edu (Mark Warner) Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 14:59:20 -0400 Subject: Test return/meeting Message-ID: I hope to receive the tests from Newark by Monday morning at the very latest. If everyone agrees, we can meet briefly Tuesday so that everyone can get their tests back. This will mean that you Newark folks will probably need to wait until Wed. or Thursday before the graded tests make it back to you via the campus shuttle. Please let me know if you won't make it for Tuesday, and I will get them to your mailboxes. Mark -- Mark E. Warner, Assistant Professor University of Delaware College of Marine Studies Smith Building 700 Pilottown Rd. Lewes, DE 19958 phone: 302-645-4365 fax: 302-645-4028 ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From mwarner at UDel.Edu Fri May 10 15:07:39 2002 From: mwarner at UDel.Edu (Mark Warner) Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 15:07:39 -0400 Subject: disregard previous message Message-ID: Coral list, Please disregard the last message from me. This is what happens when we have e-mail lists too close together (i.e. Coral list and coral class.....opps!). Sorry for the lapse. Mark Warner -- Mark E. Warner, Assistant Professor University of Delaware College of Marine Studies Smith Building 700 Pilottown Rd. Lewes, DE 19958 USA phone: 302-645-4365 fax: 302-645-4028 ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From smangubhai at africaonline.co.ke Mon May 13 04:27:24 2002 From: smangubhai at africaonline.co.ke (Sangeeta Mangubhai) Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 11:27:24 +0300 Subject: Searching for JCU ex-student Message-ID: Coral Listers, I am trying to find a Patricia Davis (I am not sure at all about the last name) who was a Masters student at James Cook Unversity in 2000. She was putting together an interesting overview on the Live Food Fish Trade which I am interesting in chasing up and discussing further with her. The last known email address I have for her is zehra_2000 at hotmail.com which does not seem to work now. Any help finding Patricia would be much appreciated. Thanks Sangeeta *********************************************** Sangeeta Mangubhai P.O. Box 10135 Bamburi Mombasa KENYA Tel: +254-(011)-474-582 Email: smangubhai at africaonline.co.ke From dugong at md2.vsnl.net.in Tue May 14 03:52:12 2002 From: dugong at md2.vsnl.net.in (dugong) Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 13:22:12 +0530 Subject: Information on Coral reef associated crabs Message-ID: Dear all, I am working on the coral associated crabs of Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve in South East Coast of India (between India and Sri Lanka). This year we have conducted survey (20 days before) on the reefs and we have found that very less number of crabs present which may be due to bleaching of some species of massive corals. I am interested in continuing studies on the reef associated crabs. Any one who can spend a few minutes time in helping me finding out information, reprints and literature on the taxonomy, diversity, distribution and ecology of these crabs (Trapezium crabs) are welcome. Since the place where I am working has not ordering all the related journals. Hence i request for help. Thanks very much A. Gokul Research Scientist Marine Biological Station Zoological Survey of India 130, santhome High Road Chennai 600 028 India From druda019 at student.otago.ac.nz Wed May 15 03:48:15 2002 From: druda019 at student.otago.ac.nz (Darrin Drumm) Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 21:48:15 -1000 Subject: shark fin soup - must buy item Message-ID: Dear List Members, I am forwarding this message on behalf of Asia Shark Watch, for the interest of anyone in our scientific community who feels strongly about shark finning practices. It has been brought to our attention that the Hong Kong Tourism Board under its shopping mecca promotion has put Dried Seafood and the sale of SHARK FIN in its 'Hong Kong Must Buy Items'. The link to the site is attached below. Just click on the vote button and run the cursor over the Dried Seafood box to see that shark fins are included in this choice. http://webserv1.discoverhongkong.com/eng/shop/mustbuy/vote.jhtml The local green groups have voiced their concern in the South China Morning Post, and now we are asking the international community such as yourselves to spend 5 minutes in writing an email to the following people, and condemn the HK Tourism Board and Government for running such a campaign: Rebecca Lai, Commissioner for Tourism: tcenq at tc.esb.gov.hk Chief Executive Tung Chee Wah: ceo at ceo.gov.hk Miss Jacqueline Ann Willis, JP, Hong Kong Commissioner to the US: hketo at hketowashington.gov.hk Thanks, Asia Shark Watch Darrin Drumm PhD Candidate Department of Marine Science University of Otago P.O. Box 56 Dunedin, New Zealand ph: 64 3 479-8306 fax: 64 3 479-8336 ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From dwswanson at hotmail.com Thu May 16 23:29:55 2002 From: dwswanson at hotmail.com (Dione Swanson) Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 23:29:55 -0400 Subject: AAUS diver needed Message-ID: Dear coral-listers, One spot is open on a research expedition in the Florida Keys to conduct rapid assessments of coral reef community structure. Dates are June 9th through June 20, 2002 (and possibly June 21st through June 30th), requirements are: Current AAUS or NOAA certification Nitrox certification, Expert id of caribbean corals, and General knowledge of other major groups: expert taxonomic knowledge of sponges or gorgonians a plus). Travel costs and expenses will be covered, and salary is available and commensurate with experience. The expedition is part of a Keyswide Program that coordinates benthic and fish studies in an intensive ship-based expeditionary mode. Please contact Dione Swanson at dswanson at rsmas.miami.edu or 305 361 4914. Dione W. Swanson Research Associate, NURC/UNCW 515 Caribbean Drive Key Largo, FL 33037 (305) 451-0233 fax (305) 453-9719 Division of Marine Biology and Fisheries Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway Miami, FL 33149 (305) 361-4914 _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From haberland at intnet.mu Fri May 17 01:41:50 2002 From: haberland at intnet.mu (Haberland) Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 09:41:50 +0400 Subject: LILE AUX BENITIERS PETITION UPDATE; 16.05.02 Message-ID: LILE AUX BENITIERS PETITION UPDATE * The L'ile aux Benitiers petition;"Mauritius: Paradise Lost?", formulated by an Ad Hoc 'collectif' of citizens, NGO members & veteran ecologists, continues to be signed & passed on (via the internet & on paper; nationally & internationally). * Over 1000 signatures have been collected locally thus far. The first 1264 signatures were handed over (on 'diskette') to Mr. Ananda Rajoo on the 27th of April in a meeting at the MIE. As an invited guest at the meeting, and a Mauritian citizen; I took the opportunity to request a response from the necessary government officials to the Mauritian general public RE: the fate of L'ile aux Benitiers. From jls at coralcay.org Fri May 17 04:45:40 2002 From: jls at coralcay.org (JeanLuc Solandt) Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 09:45:40 +0100 Subject: job position available with Coral Cay Conservation Ltd. Message-ID: Dear list members, Position available: Director - Science Department for Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) Ltd. Coral Cay Conservation Ltd. is an award winning not-for-profit NGO that currently runs terrestrial and marine conservation projects in Fiji, Honduras and The Philippines. We are seeking an experienced postgraduate (with PhD preferred) to manage the CCC Science Department. The successful applicant will have a background in managing and research of both marine and terrestrial science based projects, with proven experience of over 12 months fieldwork. The position is at director level, thus a considerable amount of management experience will be needed. Applications: Letter/ CV (email only) to: Mr. Peter Raines, Managing Director, Coral Cay Conservation psr at coralcay.org, /www.coralcay.org/ Work is London-based with international travel. Closing date for applications is May 25th. Thank you. Jean-Luc Solandt, PhD Indo Pacific Marine Scientist, Coral Cay Conservation The Tower, 125 High St., Colliers Wood, London SW19 2JG, phone: +44 (0)208 545 7721, fax: +44 (0)870 750 0667 ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From Louis.Florit at noaa.gov Fri May 17 11:17:36 2002 From: Louis.Florit at noaa.gov (Louis Florit) Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 11:17:36 -0400 Subject: CHAMP website, coral-list scheduled shutdown. Message-ID: Dear Listers: This weekend starting Friday, May 17th, 2002 afternoon until Monday, May 20th, 2002, we will experience a shutdown of mail and web services. The building where the coral server is located is having its air conditioning cooling tower replaced; the building temperatures rise to the high 90s F without the air conditioner running, and can adversely impact the coral server hardware. Secondly, the internet connection to our building is being serviced this Saturday. Sorry for the inconvinience. Expect full return of services by this coming Monday. Best Regards, Louis Florit From cks102 at york.ac.uk Fri May 17 13:38:27 2002 From: cks102 at york.ac.uk (Chris Schelten) Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 18:38:27 +0100 Subject: booder or spawner? Message-ID: Hi, can anybody quick help me before the list shuts down for this weekend and tell me if Stephanocoenia michelinii is a brooder or spawner? Thanks! Nice weekend, Chris -- ><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><> Christiane K. Schelten Environment Department University of York York YO10 5DD England Tel: 01904-434067 Fax: 01904-432998 e-mail: cks102 at york.ac.uk chris_schelten at hotmail.com ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From HelgePeterVogt at aol.com Mon May 20 08:37:22 2002 From: HelgePeterVogt at aol.com (HelgePeterVogt at aol.com) Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 08:37:22 EDT Subject: ISRS European Meeting Message-ID: Dear all: There are still a few slots available in the session on 'Dynamics of reef ecosystems in space and time' as part of the ISRS Meeting to be held in Cambridge, UK from the 4 - 7 September 2002. If you are planning to participate, please note that the deadline for submitting an abstract is 1 JUNE 2002. Formatting instructions are on the website (www.isrs2002.org) and it would be very helpful if these instructions could be followed precisely. Regards, Helge Vogt -------------------------------------------------- Dr Helge Peter Vogt 24 Doddington Grove London SE17 3TT United Kingdom T./Fax: 0044 20 7587 3556 E-mail: HelgePeterVogt at aol.com -------------------------------------------------- ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From michael.rard at univ-reunion.fr Mon May 20 10:51:48 2002 From: michael.rard at univ-reunion.fr (Michaël RARD) Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 17:51:48 +0300 Subject: For P. DUSTAN Message-ID: Sorry for every body who are not concerned, but I don't have the email of P. DUSTAN. Dear Phillip, Just some words to thank you for your very interessant reprints you have sent me some weeks ago. Cheers, Micha?l -- Micha?l RARD Laboratoire d'Ecologie Marine, Universit? de la R?union 97715 Saint Denis messag CEDEX 9, France Tel : (262) 262-93-81-57, Fax : (262) 262-93-86-85 http://perso.wanadoo.fr/mika.dit.kl/html/ContactsMika.htm From raronson at jaguar1.usouthal.edu Tue May 21 21:55:26 2002 From: raronson at jaguar1.usouthal.edu (Richard B. Aronson) Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 20:55:26 -0500 (CDT) Subject: ISRS ELECTIONS 2002 Message-ID: This message concerns elections to be held by the International Society for Reef Studies. If you are not a member and would like to join and participate in the Society, please see www.uncwil.edu/isrs for details. Election of Officers and Councillors Nomination Deadline Extended to June 21. The International Society for Reef Studies will be holding elections in September 2002 to replace outgoing officers and members of the ISRS Council. We will be electing a new President to replace retiring President Terry Done, a Vice President (currently Barbara Brown) and a Corresponding Secretary (currently Rich Aronson). In addition, we will be replacing six retiring members of the ISRS Council: Loke-Ming Chou, Hector Guzman, Nicholas Polunin, Robert Richmond, Suharsono and Carden Wallace. Treasurer John Ware and Recording Secretary Peter Edmunds will continue for another two years, as will six members of the ISRS Council: Robert van Woesik, Lucien Montaggioni, Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey, Helge P. Vogt, Jaime Garzon-Ferreira and Hajime Kayanne. The tenure of each elected position is 4 years, and new officers and councillors will take over beginning 1 January 2003. These positions are open only to members of ISRS. Nominations should be submitted to Corresponding Secretary Rich Aronson by post (Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 101 Bienville Boulevard, Dauphin Island, AL 36528, USA), by fax (251-861-7540), or as an email attachment (raronson at disl.org). Because of constitutional requirements, a nomination submitted as text of an email message cannot be accepted unless it is also submitted by one of the above methods. Each nomination should consist of the person's name, institution and country, and the post for which s/he is running. Each candidate should provide a one-paragraph statement about his/her qualifications for the position (a brief history of his/her involvement in coral reef work) and objectives while in that position (how s/he envisions working to the benefit of ISRS). Also required by the Society's bylaws is a statement of disclosure of any financial arrangements the candidate may have with any publisher of scientific literature. Self-nominations are welcome. If you wish to nominate someone other than yourself, please ask that person to mail, fax or email Rich Aronson a confirmation of his/her willingness to run for the office. DEADLINE: The deadline for nominations has been extended to 21 June 2002. Ballots and biographical sketches will be mailed to all members of ISRS, the ballots to be returned to the Recording Secretary in September (exact date to be announced). The biographical sketches of the candidates will also be posted on the ISRS web site, www.uncwil.edu/isrs, until the day ballots are due. The results of the election will be announced once the ballots have been counted. This is your chance to participate in running your Society. We look forward to hearing from you! ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From sre at caribsurf.com Tue May 21 23:25:05 2002 From: sre at caribsurf.com (Kurt Cordice) Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 23:25:05 -0400 Subject: Press Release: Announcement from the Tobago Cays Marine Park Message-ID: > Please forward to all who may be interested.... > > ************************ > > Press Release > > Date: 2002/05/22 > > The Management of the Tobago Cays Marine Park (TCMP) proudly announces the implementation of its > 2002 Work Plan, which includes the Official Opening of the Park by November, 2002. > > The five tiny Cays and the reef systems of the Tobago Cays creates a lagoon-like area, > considered by many experienced sailors to be one of the best and most beautiful anchorages in the > world. Found in the waters of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, West Indies, this unique area > attracts large numbers of yachts, SCUBA divers and day visitors. The Tobago Cays is also > considered by many to be the centerpiece of the Grenadines, a chain of small islands which act as > the central focus of marine tourism within the Windward Islands of the West Indies. > > With the project now over 17 years old, the official opening of the Tobago Cays Marine Park has been > a long time in coming. However, the Management Team of the TCMP, which has been in place for the > past 4 years, has consistently maintained that a strong foundation approach is crucial to the Park's > success, and that an official opening should not take place unless such a foundation has been > established. The Management now feels that, with the successful completion of its 2002 Work Plan, > an adequate foundation will be established, and the Tobago Cays Marine Park can look forward to a > bright future for years to come. > > "...the Tobago Cays, and indeed the Grenadines as a whole, is an area of incredible beauty and > extreme importance.it is a Natural Heritage that must be protected for our children, and for the > children of the World.", says Kurt Cordice, leader of the TCMP Management Team. > > The 2002 Work Plan of the Tobago Cays Marine Park includes various efforts of capacity building and > training, designed to facilitate the Foundation Principle of Management adopted by the TCMP. These > efforts will include the areas of: > > ? Emergency Procedures (including Search and Rescue) > ? Research and Monitoring > ? Enforcement > ? Community Management > > For more details regarding activities planned for 2002, and for further information about the Tobago > Cays Marine Park, please visit our web site at www.tobagocays.org > > The Management Team of the TCMP would like to thank those who have made this final push towards the > opening of the Marine Park possible. This thanks is especially extended to many of the Vendors of > the Tobago Cays, who have taken it upon themselves to ensure that both the social atmosphere and the > environment of the Tobago Cays continue to be one of the best in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. > The Management Team looks forward to working in partnership with the local Vendors and the Community > of the Southern Grenadines, to ensure that this beautiful and valuable area is protected as a > Heritage for future generations. > > ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From coral_giac at yahoo.com Thu May 23 00:42:02 2002 From: coral_giac at yahoo.com (Hernandez Edwin) Date: Wed, 22 May 2002 21:42:02 -0700 (PDT) Subject: White Plague Alert #2 Message-ID: Dear coral-listers. Just a follow up short notice to inform you about the White Plague outbreak going on Culebra Island, Puerto Rico. An increasing frequency of corals was found during a routine dive last Friday (May 17, 2002) to be actively infected by the White Plague (possibly Type II). So far, only the columnar morph of Montastrea annularis is the only species affected. This resembles the 1998 outbreak in Culebra in the sense that M. annularis was the only species affected in our study sites. However, since 1996 this has been the earliest time of the year where such a major outbreak has been detected. There were small events during the late summer-fall of 1996, 1997 and a major outbreak during the late summer of 1998. The 2001 outbreak occurred during the middle of the summer. But this year, the first impacted colony was observed by March 27, 2002, with an increasing frequency by late April. To my knowledege, this has been the only report of WP during this year in the Caribbean. We are planning an expedition during next week to assess the actual extent and impacts of the disease. Also, during the first week of June plan to collect tissue samples for microbiological analysis. Please, I'd like to recieve reactions from other colleagues through the Caribbean. I'm just wondering why are we having this local event in Culebra, but so far, nowhere else in Puerto Rico or the rest of the Caribbean! Any thougths about alternatives to stop the disease progression? Is there any way that we can stick some kind of antibiotics to the coral surface? We plan to carry out some experiments about this aspects. Please, answer directly to me. Thanks in advance. Regards, Edwin ===== Edwin A. Hernandez-Delgado, Ph.D. University of Puerto Rico Department of Biology Coral Reef Research Group P.O. Box 23360 San Juan, P.R. 00931-3360 Tel (787) 764-0000, x-4855; Fax (787) 764-2610 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From picoczml at cozumel.com.mx Thu May 23 16:24:11 2002 From: picoczml at cozumel.com.mx (Jose M. Castello) Date: Thu, 23 May 2002 14:24:11 -0600 Subject: Sea Urchins.., Message-ID: Hello , Do somebody have information you can send me about sea urchins as contamination's indicators? I appreciatte if yo can send me a.s.a.p. information about this. A million thanks, Jose M Castello - picoczml at cozumel.com .mx ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From r.berkelmans at aims.gov.au Thu May 23 22:57:31 2002 From: r.berkelmans at aims.gov.au (Ray Berkelmans) Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 12:57:31 +1000 Subject: Coral Bleaching on the GBR Message-ID: Dear listers The southern hemisphere summer is now over and the Great Barrier Reef had another scorcher. Since January, it's been a busy time for bleachers with in-water and aerial surveys. Yesterday the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Cooperative Research Centre for the GBR World Heritage Area jointly released the results of their surveys (to date) to the media. For anyone interested, the press release and map of aerial survey results can be found at: http://www.reef.crc.org.au/publications/press/stress_for_reef.html Essentially we are claiming that the 2002 bleaching event is the worst on record with just under 60% of the GBR reef area with visible bleaching. This compares with around 44% in 1998. However, total reef area in the higher bleaching categories is essentially similar between 98 and 2002. We don't have a good handle on mortality levels yet. Reefs are still recovering and some still dying. As with 98, we expect most reefs will recover, however a small number of reefs (particularly inshore reefs) are showing signs of widespread mortality. The worst affected reefs are in the central GBR near the town of Bowen where 80-90% of Acropora dominated communities on a number of reefs are dead. In-water surveys are continuing over the coming months. More information on the GBR bleaching event can be found at: http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/bleaching/ I haven't heard reports of bleaching elsewhere in the southern hemisphere this summer. I take that as good news. Lets hope the northern hemisphere reefs are spared too this coming summer! Ray Berkelmans ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From lovell at is.com.fj Fri May 24 05:03:18 2002 From: lovell at is.com.fj (Ed Lovell) Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 21:03:18 +1200 Subject: Coral bleaching in Fiji and Samoa Message-ID: Dear Ray, Fiji has had substantial coral bleaching this year. Its extent is less than the 2000 event with the important distinction that the warmer water has remained stratified and largely affecting corals in shallower depths. In deeper areas, exceptional regrowth and continued recruitment is being observed, particularly in the areas previously affected by the major bleaching. Dr. Robyn Cumming, myself and other contributors are writing this up. A recent visit to Samoa has revealed bleaching to be common. In Fagaloa Bay, up to 30% of corals were bleached though this was dependent on the location and the corals present. Generally, it was much less. Reef tops were characteristically more bleached. The very common, monopolising table coral, Acropora hyacinthus, remained largely unaffected in depths greater than a couple of metres. This species was one of the first to go in Fiji's 2000 event. Best regards, Ed Edward R. Lovell Biological Consultants, Fiji PO Box 3129 Lami, Fiji Ph./Fax (679) 3361358 Email: lovell at is.com.fj ----- Original Message ----- From: Ray Berkelmans To: Sent: Friday, May 24, 2002 2:57 PM Subject: Coral Bleaching on the GBR Dear listers The southern hemisphere summer is now over and the Great Barrier Reef had another scorcher. Since January, it's been a busy time for bleachers with in-water and aerial surveys. Yesterday the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Cooperative Research Centre for the GBR World Heritage Area jointly released the results of their surveys (to date) to the media. For anyone interested, the press release and map of aerial survey results can be found at: http://www.reef.crc.org.au/publications/press/stress_for_reef.html Essentially we are claiming that the 2002 bleaching event is the worst on record with just under 60% of the GBR reef area with visible bleaching. This compares with around 44% in 1998. However, total reef area in the higher bleaching categories is essentially similar between 98 and 2002. We don't have a good handle on mortality levels yet. Reefs are still recovering and some still dying. As with 98, we expect most reefs will recover, however a small number of reefs (particularly inshore reefs) are showing signs of widespread mortality. The worst affected reefs are in the central GBR near the town of Bowen where 80-90% of Acropora dominated communities on a number of reefs are dead. In-water surveys are continuing over the coming months. More information on the GBR bleaching event can be found at: http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/bleaching/ I haven't heard reports of bleaching elsewhere in the southern hemisphere this summer. I take that as good news. Lets hope the northern hemisphere reefs are spared too this coming summer! Ray Berkelmans ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From dustanp at cofc.edu Fri May 24 07:59:39 2002 From: dustanp at cofc.edu (Phil Dustan) Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 07:59:39 -0400 Subject: Please put your thinking caps on Message-ID: Hi Coral Listers, I just wanted to call everyone's attention to the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in Johannesburg South Africa, August 26-Sept 4. The Chairman's text for Negotiation (which is the basis for further negotiations at a ministerial level preparatory meeting in Bali next week) (www.johannesburgsummit.org/index.html) contains an outline of issues that will be raised at the summit. The text references sustainable development in the seas but refers to coral reefs in only two places! It seems to me that reefs deserve more attention in the grand scheme of things at a world summit focusing on sustainability. The upcoming meetings in Mexico and Jakarta present opportunities to become more involved with ICRI and ICRAN to work towards getting reefs a bit more presence at WSSD. The science community has an opportunity and an obligation to join in the process and begin to speak with a louder voice on the relationship of environmental sustainability with coral reef health and the vitality of seas. Many of us have witnessed firsthand the destruction of reefs around the world. We know their importance to the ecological sustainability of the oceans. And many of us have ideas about how to contribute towards their conservation. I'd like to urge the scientific community to put some thought into this and offer suggestions for the WSSD Agenda that can be discussed at the upcoming ICRI Regional Workshops in Jakarta and Cancun. We might not be able to actually go to the meetings but I think we could use the coral-list as a forum for offering suggestions and making our collective voices heard. Further details about the Cancun meeting will be posted on the ICRI, UNEP-CAR/RCU and CONANP websites at www.icriforum.org, www.cep.unep.org and www.conanp.gob.mx. PLEASE NOTE NEW EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW -------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip Dustan Department of Biology College of Charleston Charleston SC 29424 dustanp at cofc.edu www.cofc.edu/~coral/corallab.htm (843) 953-8086 (843)953-5453 Fax ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From jeffmiller at islands.vi Fri May 24 16:41:30 2002 From: jeffmiller at islands.vi (Jeff Miller) Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 16:41:30 -0400 Subject: Plague update from St. John, USVI Message-ID: Dear Coral-listers, We were very interested to read Dr. Edwin Hernandez?s report of the increase in frequency of white plague around Culebra, Puerto Rico, recently posted to the coral list. This is just a quick note to describe what we've been seeing with our monthly monitoring of plague on a reef here in St. John, US Virgin Islands that differs somewhat from the observations in Culebra. Plague has been present every month since we began monitoring Tektite Reef in December 1997, and this month?s monitoring showed less disease than previous months. (The study site, Tektite Reef, has >50% percent cover by scleractinian corals with 90% of hard corals being composed of Montastraea annularis.) Plague occurs most commonly on Montastraea annularis, but during our May 2002 monitoring we saw it on Agaricia agaricites, Porites porites, Colpophyllia natans. Over the course of our entire study it has affected 15 different species. The May 24, 2002 sampling was our 48th month, and the number of "spots" or areas of plague on colonies was below average, ranking #21 among all months sampled. For this year, February had fewer disease occurrences and March and April had more than this month. With respect to the total area of all spots covered by disease (we measure the longest length, and perpendicular axis), again, May was below average (ranking 19th among all months sampled) and for 2002, there was more area covered by plague in February and March. Over the study period, we?ve seen no correlation of disease with water temperature or time of year. And although we can?t predict disease trends, this monthly monitoring shows plague is a chronic problem, and continues to kill coral throughout the year. Those interested in more information can contact me directly at William_J_Miller at nps.gov or jeffmiller at islands.vi. All the best, Jeff ++++++++ Jeff Miller, Fisheries Biologist National Park Service Virgin Islands National Park 1300 Cruz Bay Creek St. John, VI 00830 PH: 340-693-8950 ext: 227 FX: 340-693-9500 From gregorh at ucla.edu Fri May 24 21:55:24 2002 From: gregorh at ucla.edu (Gregor Hodgson) Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 18:55:24 -0700 Subject: Please put your thinking caps on Message-ID: Reef Check/GCRMN is an official delegate to the World Summit in Johannesburg. Many other organizations with an interest in coral reef conservation will be there such as WWF and IUCN. We will have a booth and will be holding a press conference there and we would be happy to do our best to raise the issue of reef conservation. Pls let us know how we can be of service in this respect. Regards, Gregor Gregor Hodgson, PhD Professor (Visiting); Director, Reef Check Institute of Environment 1362 Hershey Hall Box 951496 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1496 Tel: 310-794-4985 Fax:310-825-0758 Website: www.ReefCheck.org -----Original Message----- From: owner-coral-list at aoml.noaa.gov [mailto:owner-coral-list at aoml.noaa.gov]On Behalf Of Phil Dustan Sent: Friday, May 24, 2002 5:00 AM To: coral-list at aoml.noaa.gov Subject: Please put your thinking caps on Hi Coral Listers, I just wanted to call everyone's attention to the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in Johannesburg South Africa, August 26-Sept 4. The Chairman's text for Negotiation (which is the basis for further negotiations at a ministerial level preparatory meeting in Bali next week) (www.johannesburgsummit.org/index.html) contains an outline of issues that will be raised at the summit. The text references sustainable development in the seas but refers to coral reefs in only two places! It seems to me that reefs deserve more attention in the grand scheme of things at a world summit focusing on sustainability. The upcoming meetings in Mexico and Jakarta present opportunities to become more involved with ICRI and ICRAN to work towards getting reefs a bit more presence at WSSD. The science community has an opportunity and an obligation to join in the process and begin to speak with a louder voice on the relationship of environmental sustainability with coral reef health and the vitality of seas. Many of us have witnessed firsthand the destruction of reefs around the world. We know their importance to the ecological sustainability of the oceans. And many of us have ideas about how to contribute towards their conservation. I'd like to urge the scientific community to put some thought into this and offer suggestions for the WSSD Agenda that can be discussed at the upcoming ICRI Regional Workshops in Jakarta and Cancun. We might not be able to actually go to the meetings but I think we could use the coral-list as a forum for offering suggestions and making our collective voices heard. Further details about the Cancun meeting will be posted on the ICRI, UNEP-CAR/RCU and CONANP websites at www.icriforum.org, www.cep.unep.org and www.conanp.gob.mx. PLEASE NOTE NEW EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW -------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillip Dustan Department of Biology College of Charleston Charleston SC 29424 dustanp at cofc.edu www.cofc.edu/~coral/corallab.htm (843) 953-8086 (843)953-5453 Fax ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. From debimack at auracom.com Sat May 25 08:27:29 2002 From: debimack at auracom.com (Debbie MacKenzie) Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 09:27:29 -0300 Subject: Challenging basic assumptions Message-ID: Dear Marine Scientists, For the last several years I have been trying to draw your attention to the possibility that marine productivity has been substantially lowered as the result of centuries of fishing removals. The major objections that I have received from many of you have been these: (1) Primary production rates are determined by patterns of "physical forcing," (2) No changes have been recorded in levels of dissolved nutrients in the ocean, and (3) Nutrient overload is actually at the root of many problems in coastal waters. What needs to be clarified, I believe, are these points: (1) That "physical forcing" is not the only determinant of productivity in temperate zones. In your analysis of nitrogen flux patterns you did not include biological processes that counteract sinking, one of the largest being the production by benthic organisms of floating spawn. "Tight biological cycling" of nutrients in temperate coastal systems therefore also occurs. (2) Changes in the productivity rate of the ocean will not predictably be reflected by declining levels of dissolved nutrients in seawater, because the system has a strong natural tendency to stabilize these. (3) The methods of diagnosing "eutrophication" need to be objectively reviewed. You are finding too many "false positives" by relying on tests with very low specificity. I hope that my review of these topics may be helpful to you: http://www.fisherycrisis.com/Lifeblood.html Sincerely, Debbie MacKenzie INTRODUCTION/ABSTRACT Several years of research have been spent exploring the hypothesis that generalized ?starvation? is at the root of today?s failing marine life, and that total marine production has been steadily lowered, both developments representing an unintended, and unrecognized, consequence of fishing. Prior scientific investigation into this hypothesis appears to be lacking. Mainstream scientific thinking on the hypothesis, however, has been to firmly resist the idea because of the belief that marine production is directly linked to, and determined by, patterns of "physical forcing." (Berger et al, 1989, Carpenter and Capone, 1983, Parsons et al, 1984) The physical forcing of dissolved nutrients from deeper waters to the sunlit zone occurs as the result of seasonal weather patterns which are essentially a constant. It was necessary therefore to demonstrate the point of disconnection between physical forcing patterns and patterns of marine primary productivity. This is best demonstrated by describing a nutrient flux pattern that has not been accounted for, as such, in the literature. ?Biological forcing? of primary production is achieved in continental shelf systems where assemblages of benthic invertebrates and fish release prodigious numbers of floating pelagic spawn. Traditionally viewed only as a "reproductive strategy" (Kasyanov, 2001, Steidinger and Walker, 1984), this spawning behavior also represents an important, biologically forced, nutrient flux that has not been quantified or considered in the standard ecosystem models. Just as nitrates forced to the surface by weather patterns will stimulate primary production, so will the physical raising of eggs and larvae. The quality of the effect on phytoplankton productivity is the same. If biological forcing has therefore played an important role in all ocean systems (and not only the tropical ones, where the idea was recognized decades ago), then significant biomass removal by fishing has potentially lowered system productivity. This potential, for net system productivity to have been lowered as a consequence of fishing, has not been clearly recognized in recent literature that has sought to discover the extent of the ecosystem effects of fisheries. (Jackson et al, 2001, Kaiser and deGroot, 2000, Goni, 2000) A model of an individual starving marine population (Powell et al., 1995) was used to predict which symptoms might emerge on a more general scale if ?starvation,? or bottom-up control, were increasingly exerted on the ocean itself. The model revealed the likelihood of only a single early warning signal, loss of the older members of the affected population, which could easily be misinterpreted as a sign of overfishing. Differential diagnosis at a systemic level relies on finding the signal in unfished, as well as fished, populations. In an attempt to find meaningful patterns in the larger picture of broad changing trends in marine life today (the "down the web" shift, the failure of Atlantic groundfish stocks to recover under moratorium, the widespread decline in the age and size at maturity of fish, the increasing incidence of harmful algae blooms, changes in seaweeds and intertidal invertebrates, the starvation of marine mammals, etc?), I have drawn parallels between what appear to be physiological homeostatic mechanisms at work in the overall ocean system and similar biological processes that are known to act to maintain a smaller living system - the human body. It was important to demonstrate that long-term consistency in measurements of seawater nitrogen (usually nitrate) concentration is unrelated to long-term changes that may have occurred in rates of primary production. With a background in an older biological scientific discipline, the study of human medicine, I have taken the approach of using a medical diagnostic model to assess both the state of the ocean?s health today and also the value of the currently favored diagnostic tests used by marine scientists. Many assessment tests used today, especially those for "eutrophication," are unacceptably prone to giving false positive results. Signs of extreme stress due to nutrient loss emerge when the overall marine ecosystem is assessed in this manner. And acute, and possibly abrupt, downward shifts appear imminent as the biological system enters "decompensation." ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From riskmj at mcmaster.ca Sat May 25 10:13:01 2002 From: riskmj at mcmaster.ca (Mike Risk) Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 10:13:01 -0400 Subject: No subject Message-ID: , From bogus@does.not.exist.com Fri May 24 10:11:11 2002 From: bogus@does.not.exist.com () Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 10:11:11 -0400 Subject: Please put your thinking caps on Message-ID: Gregor: I wish you the best of luck. I would not go to a World Summit at = gunpoint. My experience with these "high-level" meetings is that they are = dominated by politicians (of all stripes and types) who are not the = slightest bit interested in listening to others, but extremely = interested in pushing their own agendas. I have avoided such meetings = assiduously for the last few decades, and am much the happier for it. We should all realise that a widespread view in lesser-developed nations = holds that interest in reefs is driven by First World academics who like = working in nice places. (This is not a view with which we could all = disagree with clear consciences...) The pernicious "Wise Use" mindset is = now fairly common, in which reefs are viewed as resources, to be = utilised sustainably. No one in positions of power understands that = sustainable development is an oxymoron. So, we need to find the handles. In our narrow focus on our ecosystem, we sometimes lose sight of the = fact that the overarching concern of the next 50 years will be access to = good water. Everything else will pale by comparison. Countries are also = beginning to adopt integrated water resource management plans, some of = them organised by advanced decision-support systems. Coastal zone = management is a subset of these plans, and reefs come under that rubric. = "We need to understand that coral reef management begins at the top of = the mountain, and flows down to the sea through the villages and = churches and mosques." (Sound track, "People of the Reefs.") If we push our ecosystem, we are no better than all the other special = pleaders. My suggestion is, we push for water resource programs, because = it's a Good Thing. And then we ensure that reefs are under those = umbrellas. ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From sjameson at coralseas.com Sat May 25 13:44:03 2002 From: sjameson at coralseas.com (Stephen C Jameson) Date: Sat, 25 May 02 13:44:03 -0400 Subject: World Summit Thoughts Message-ID: Dear Greg and Phil, Regarding Mike Risk's thoughts. > >"We need to understand that coral reef management begins at the top of >the mountain, and flows down to the sea through the villages and >churches and mosques." (Sound track, "People of the Reefs.") > >If we push our ecosystem, we are no better than all the other special >pleaders. My suggestion is, we push for water resource programs, because >it's a Good Thing. And then we ensure that reefs are under those >umbrellas. 1. I would even expand the umbrella further to say that "coral reef management begins in the atmosphere and flows down from there". We have little understanding of the synergistic forces exerted on coral reefs from pollutants/stressors entering via the atmosphere. Just a few quick familiar examples: - African dust: herbicides, pesticides, bacteria, viruses, fungi, nutrients, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, carcinogens (dioxin and radioactive isotopes), and heavy metals. - Advective and atmospheric depositions (i.e., CO2, nutrients): could be greater than land-based anthropogenic loadings. - Global climate change factors: increased temperature and UV light. 2. In addition to the watershed concerns that Mike summarized, we should not forget the overfishing factor - which is also a global problem. Bottom line: Coral reefs are a sensitive system at the end of the human pollution pipeline. As such, they assess synergistic and addditive relationships among pollutants and serve as an important life support alarm system for the human species. The alarm has started to ring - louder in some places than others. Our understanding of how much more we can degrade our environment is feeble. Precautionary environmental policies need to be implemented on global, regional and local scales. ************ I hope some of this is useful! Best of luck and keep us posted! Best regards, Dr. Stephen C. Jameson, President Coral Seas Inc. - Integrated Coastal Zone Management 4254 Hungry Run Road, The Plains, VA 20198-1715 USA Office: 703-754-8690, Fax: 703-754-9139 Email: sjameson at coralseas.com Web Site: www.coralseas.com ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From hartd at ge.adfa.edu.au Sat May 25 21:34:48 2002 From: hartd at ge.adfa.edu.au (Deirdre Hart) Date: Sun, 26 May 2002 11:34:48 +1000 Subject: mollusc production rates Message-ID: Dear Coral Listers, I am trying to estimate the gross carbonate produced on a reef flat in Torres Strait using a modified census based method (growth x density x cover) but cannot find any satisfactory estimates of production rates by living assemblages of molluscs. I have examined several carbonate budgets and literature on carbonate production by corals, coralline algae, Halimeda and Foraminifera including studies by Odum and Odum 1955, Goreau and Goreau 1959, Goreau 1963, Chave et al. 1972, Adey and Vassar 1975, Buddemeier and Kinzie 1976, Stearn et al. 1977, Highsmith 1979, Scoffin et al. 1980, Drew 1983, Hubbard and Scaturo 1985, Kinsey 1985, Hughes and Jackson 1985, Mutler 1988, Payri 1988, Matsuda 1989, Hubbard et al. 1990, Eakin 1992, Langer et al. 1997 and Vecsei 2001 (complete references not provided to save space but I'm happy to supply via email). In many reef budgets the carbonate production by molluscs seems either to have been regarded as minimal and, thus, omitable, or it has been estimated from the contribution of their skeletons to sediment deposits. I have not been able to find any estimates for the carbonate or shell production rates of molluscs calculated from observations of living assemblages. If anybody could suggest references in which I might find such estimates, or point me in the right direction, I would be very grateful. Yours Sincerely, Deirdre Hart. d.hart at adfa.edu.au School of Geography and Oceanography University of New South Wales Australian Defence Force Academy ACT 2600, Australia. ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From science at gektidis.de Mon May 27 10:48:24 2002 From: science at gektidis.de (marcos) Date: Mon, 27 May 2002 16:48:24 +0200 Subject: ISRS 2002 bioerosion Message-ID: Dear all. This message concerns the ISRS Meeting to be held in Cambridge, UK from the 4 - 7 September 2002. All colleagues that work in the field of bioerosion and have new data to present to the scientific community are invited to contribute. We can include three more talks and many many more posters. This session will be organized partly as a workshop. We encourage the presentation of specimens (microscopes are available) and hope to have a lively discussion on all issues of bioerosion in past and present. The presentation of traces is as welcome as the demonstration of recent material (recent traces: see lively discussion). If you are planning to participate, please note that the deadline for submitting an abstract is 1 JUNE 2002. If you feel that you want to participate but cannot meet the deadline for any reasons, please contact me. Cheers, Marcos Dr. Marcos Gektidis mailto: science at gektidis.de GPI Senckenberganlage 32-34 60054 Frankfurt am Main Germany ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From cbastidas at usb.ve Mon May 27 11:03:03 2002 From: cbastidas at usb.ve (Carolina Bastidas) Date: Mon, 27 May 2002 11:03:03 -0400 Subject: any other signs of bleaching in the Caribbean? Message-ID: Dear coral-listers, Within the last two weeks we observed one third of the coral colonies pale and bleached at the venezuelan CARICOMP site of Parque Nacional Morrocoy. Affected colonies included species of Montrastea, Colpophyllia and Porites - the dominant genera in the area - between 4 and 12 meters depth. We were wondering if those observations could correspond to early signs of a widespread bleaching in the Caribbean or some localized phenomena. Any other observation? Thanks, **************************************************** Carolina Bastidas Depto. de Biolog?a de Organismos Universidad Sim?n Bol?var Apdo. 89000 Caracas 1080 Venezuela Fax: 58-212-9063046 Tel: 58-212-9063415 cbastidas at usb.ve ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From debimack at auracom.com Mon May 27 16:03:38 2002 From: debimack at auracom.com (Debbie MacKenzie) Date: Mon, 27 May 2002 17:03:38 -0300 Subject: Challenging basic assumptions Message-ID: Dear coral list, A couple of days ago I tried to post this message to your list, along with other marine science contacts that I have...but it seems to have come back to me today as "undeliverable." So I'll try this again. I think you might find parts of this to be interesting, especially the thoughts on which signals are most useful in diagnosing "eutrophication" of coastal waters, and in differentiating that problem from the potential (opposite) problem of nutrient depletion of those areas. cheers, Debbie MacKenzie Dear Marine Scientists, For the last several years I have been trying to draw your attention to the possibility that marine productivity has been substantially lowered as the result of centuries of fishing removals. The major objections that I have received from many of you have been these: (1) Primary production rates are determined by patterns of "physical forcing," (2) No changes have been recorded in levels of dissolved nutrients in the ocean, and (3) Nutrient overload is actually at the root of many problems in coastal waters. What needs to be clarified, I believe, are these points: (1) That "physical forcing" is not the only determinant of productivity in temperate zones. In your analysis of nitrogen flux patterns you did not include biological processes that counteract sinking, one of the largest being the production by benthic organisms of floating spawn. "Tight biological cycling" of nutrients in temperate coastal systems therefore also occurs. (2) Changes in the productivity rate of the ocean will not predictably be reflected by declining levels of dissolved nutrients in seawater, because the system has a strong natural tendency to stabilize these. (3) The methods of diagnosing "eutrophication" need to be objectively reviewed. You are finding too many "false positives" by relying on tests with very low specificity. I hope that my review of these topics may be helpful to you: http://www.fisherycrisis.com/Lifeblood.html Sincerely, Debbie MacKenzie INTRODUCTION/ABSTRACT Several years of research have been spent exploring the hypothesis that generalized ?starvation? is at the root of today?s failing marine life, and that total marine production has been steadily lowered, both developments representing an unintended, and unrecognized, consequence of fishing. Prior scientific investigation into this hypothesis appears to be lacking. Mainstream scientific thinking on the hypothesis, however, has been to firmly resist the idea because of the belief that marine production is directly linked to, and determined by, patterns of "physical forcing." (Berger et al, 1989, Carpenter and Capone, 1983, Parsons et al, 1984) The physical forcing of dissolved nutrients from deeper waters to the sunlit zone occurs as the result of seasonal weather patterns which are essentially a constant. It was necessary therefore to demonstrate the point of disconnection between physical forcing patterns and patterns of marine primary productivity. This is best demonstrated by describing a nutrient flux pattern that has not been accounted for, as such, in the literature. ?Biological forcing? of primary production is achieved in continental shelf systems where assemblages of benthic invertebrates and fish release prodigious numbers of floating pelagic spawn. Traditionally viewed only as a "reproductive strategy" (Kasyanov, 2001, Steidinger and Walker, 1984), this spawning behavior also represents an important, biologically forced, nutrient flux that has not been quantified or considered in the standard ecosystem models. Just as nitrates forced to the surface by weather patterns will stimulate primary production, so will the physical raising of eggs and larvae. The quality of the effect on phytoplankton productivity is the same. If biological forcing has therefore played an important role in all ocean systems (and not only the tropical ones, where the idea was recognized decades ago), then significant biomass removal by fishing has potentially lowered system productivity. This potential, for net system productivity to have been lowered as a consequence of fishing, has not been clearly recognized in recent literature that has sought to discover the extent of the ecosystem effects of fisheries. (Jackson et al, 2001, Kaiser and deGroot, 2000, Goni, 2000) A model of an individual starving marine population (Powell et al., 1995) was used to predict which symptoms might emerge on a more general scale if ?starvation,? or bottom-up control, were increasingly exerted on the ocean itself. The model revealed the likelihood of only a single early warning signal, loss of the older members of the affected population, which could easily be misinterpreted as a sign of overfishing. Differential diagnosis at a systemic level relies on finding the signal in unfished, as well as fished, populations. In an attempt to find meaningful patterns in the larger picture of broad changing trends in marine life today (the "down the web" shift, the failure of Atlantic groundfish stocks to recover under moratorium, the widespread decline in the age and size at maturity of fish, the increasing incidence of harmful algae blooms, changes in seaweeds and intertidal invertebrates, the starvation of marine mammals, etc?), I have drawn parallels between what appear to be physiological homeostatic mechanisms at work in the overall ocean system and similar biological processes that are known to act to maintain a smaller living system - the human body. It was important to demonstrate that long-term consistency in measurements of seawater nitrogen (usually nitrate) concentration is unrelated to long-term changes that may have occurred in rates of primary production. With a background in an older biological scientific discipline, the study of human medicine, I have taken the approach of using a medical diagnostic model to assess both the state of the ocean?s health today and also the value of the currently favored diagnostic tests used by marine scientists. Many assessment tests used today, especially those for "eutrophication," are unacceptably prone to giving false positive results. Signs of extreme stress due to nutrient loss emerge when the overall marine ecosystem is assessed in this manner. And acute, and possibly abrupt, downward shifts appear imminent as the biological system enters "decompensation." ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From sauni_s at usp.ac.fj Mon May 27 17:06:29 2002 From: sauni_s at usp.ac.fj (sauni_s at usp.ac.fj) Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 09:06:29 +1200 Subject: Coral Bleaching in Tuvalu and Fiji Message-ID: Dear Ray, I wish to add other details to your information re bleaching in the southern hermisphere. I report here coral bleaching in Tuvalu during our two weeks surveys. >From May 2-16, 2000, Ron Vave and I surveyed 6 sites within the Funafuti lagoon (capital of Tuvalu), with each site consisting of 3 habitats (reef crest/top, slope and lagoon floor). We are still computerizing our field data. The surveys was part of the GCRMN project under the SW pacific node which is coordinated from the Institute of Marine Resources, University of the South Pacific. For the two sites we have analyzed so far, we recorded an average % bleached for the most dominant coral family, Acroporidae (Acropora muricata, A. robusta etc), to be 70%. Bleaching is equally distributed in branching and tabulate acroporas. A little less than 20% average cover was recorded for Pocilloporidae (e.g. Styllophora sp.), while Agariciidae, Faviidae and Mussidae < 10%. Bleaching was particularly dominant over the reef crest and slope habitats though, average 50% bleaching was recorded in low coverage of acropora colonies at the lagoon floor. We recorded 30.5 deg. C average for water temperature with the highest being 32 deg. C. We suspect bleaching to have been started end of March and April. Ron and I are will write the findings up for Tuvalu's report as part of its submission to the secretariat of the SW pacific node of GCRMN project. In addition, bleaching for 2000-01 in five sites, NE Viti Levu, Fiji were closely monitored and surveyed six times at 3-4 months interval since bleaching commenced April-May 2000. Coral and fish data generated from these surveys were part of my PhD research. I am currently writing them up as well. Cheers Samasoni SauniProject Coordinator Post Harvest & Fisheries Development Project Marine Studies Program The University of the South Pacific PO Box 1168, Suva, Fiji Islands Tel: 679 212879, 212051 Fax: 679 301490 email: sauni_s at usp.ac.fj ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From j.oliver at cgiar.org Mon May 27 22:38:47 2002 From: j.oliver at cgiar.org (Jamie Oliver) Date: Mon, 27 May 2002 19:38:47 -0700 Subject: Coral Bleaching Records Message-ID: Dear Coral-Listers Following Ray's posting about the latest bleaching results for the Great Barrier Reef, and the resulting follow-up reports from other areas, I would like to announce that ReefBase has an online reporting facility for bleaching records which is directly linked to our ReefBase bleaching tables and our online GIS (www.reefbase.org/input/bleachingreport/index.asp). This online report can be found in the "User Input" area of ReefBase and is a joint effort with Al Strong's group at NOAA. It builds on, and now replaces the online reporting facility on the NOAA site (the NOAA reporting form page now points to the ReefBase site). While the report form allows you to enter a great deal of information, you can enter just the key data (highlighted in red) on date, site, severity etc on the first page and then immediately submit. This takes less that a minute, although we would be delighted if you can take more time and fill out the other fields if you can. Once the report has been submitted we will do a quick quality check on the report to ensure it does not have any errors or critical omissions and then put it onto the database so you will be able to see the record as a new symbol on the ReefBase GIS. ReefBase now has the most complete database of coral bleaching available, incorporating the original bleaching database developed at UNEP-WCMC and recently updated with published records from the literature, from the Coral-List and from other major data sources such as the AIMS and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. However I am sure that there are other records which we do not yet have (either current or in the past), so please help us keep this database as current and comprehensive as possible buy submitting your reports to us. If you are unable to use the online report because of limited internet access we would be happy to mail you a copy of the form that you can fill out and return to us. We are currently working on a query facility that will allow you to get all bleaching records for a particular year or location. The results will be displayed in report form, or can be downloaded as data tables in excel or delimited text format. In the mean time if you need to access the bleaching data send me an email and we would be happy to send you a copy of the data table. Please note that the Bleaching Report described here is different from the Bleaching Questionnaire, which was announced by Terry Done a few weeks ago. The Questionnaire is also available on ReefBase, and seeks information on what physical & geographic factors which may protect corals from bleaching, and might thus be important considerations in the design of Marine Protected Areas. I would also encourage you to fill out this questionnaire if you have information on where bleaching has and has not occurred in the past. Best Regards Jamie Oliver ==================================================== ReefBase www.reefbase.org ReefBase is developed by ICLARM - The World Fish Center. It is a product of the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). It is supported by the United Nations Foundation (UNF) and the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) ==================================================== =============================== Jamie Oliver Senior Scientist (Coral Reef Projects) ICLARM - The World Fish Center PO Box 500, Penang 10670 Phone: (604) 626 1606 Fax: (604) 626 5530 email: J.Oliver at cgiar.org visit ReefBase on: www.reefbase.org =============================== ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From rupert.ormond at millport.gla.ac.uk Tue May 28 05:48:28 2002 From: rupert.ormond at millport.gla.ac.uk (Rupert Ormond) Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 10:48:28 +0100 Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching? Message-ID: Dear Coral Listers I would be grateful if any of the coral physiologists involved in bleaching work could offer any details on a question that's been put to me a couple of times. The colourful pigments (blues, pinks etc.) that are charateristic of many shallow water corals (Acropora etc.) are, as I understand it, located in the coral tissue itself. Whereas the pigments present in the zooxanthellae are more or less brown in colour. If coral bleaching (due to elevated SSTs) is principally the result of expulsion or loss of zooxanthellae, then why do the corals go completely white. i.e. what happens to the more colourful coral pigments? Are they damaged as well but independently by temperature induced failure of protective systems? sincerely, Rupert Ormond Dr. Rupert Ormond Director, University Marine Biological Station Millport, Isle of Cumbrae, SCOTLAND UK KA28 0EG email: rupert.ormond at millport.gla.ac.uk tel: (44)-01475-530581 fax: (44)-01475-530601 web: http://www.gla.ac.uk/Acad/Marine/ ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From matz at whitney.ufl.edu Tue May 28 10:44:34 2002 From: matz at whitney.ufl.edu (Mike Matz) Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 10:44:34 -0400 Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching? Message-ID: Good question! I myself saw a case when the animal was bleached, but retained red fluorescent coloration. This was not on the reef, though - this was a specimen of corallimorph shipped over from Vietnam, on aquarium business. The bleaching was apparently a consequence of some stress conditions during shipping. By the way, that guy recovered nicely after that - regained brown coloration in a week or so in aquarium. It is from this specimen we cloned the first red-emitting GFP-like protein. The funny thing is - if the specimen was not bleached upon arrival, we would probably overlook the red fluorescence of the host tissue, it becomes really inconspicious as soon as the brown color is back. The fact that corals go completely white upon bleaching on reefs, with no host-tissue colors remaining, might be a consequence of much worse stress than my aquarium corallimorph suffered. But still, this completeness of bleaching does seem weird to me. The dissapearance of host pigments might be linked to zooxanthellae loss, but just as well, it might not. I am not aware of any reports that would address this. Please share your opinions. Mike ----- Mikhail V. Matz, Ph.D. Whitney Laboratory University of Florida 9505 Ocean Shore blvd St Augustine FL 32080-8610, USA phone +1 904 461 4025 fax +1 904 461 4008 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rupert Ormond" To: Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2002 5:48 AM Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching? > Dear Coral Listers > > I would be grateful if any of the coral physiologists involved in bleaching > work could offer any details on a question that's been put to me a couple > of times. > > The colourful pigments (blues, pinks etc.) that are charateristic of many > shallow water corals (Acropora etc.) are, as I understand it, located in > the coral tissue itself. Whereas the pigments present in the zooxanthellae > are more or less brown in colour. If coral bleaching (due to elevated > SSTs) is principally the result of expulsion or loss of zooxanthellae, then > why do the corals go completely white. i.e. what happens to the more > colourful coral pigments? Are they damaged as well but independently by > temperature induced failure of protective systems? > > sincerely, > > Rupert Ormond > > > > > Dr. Rupert Ormond > Director, > University Marine Biological Station Millport, > Isle of Cumbrae, > SCOTLAND > UK KA28 0EG > > email: rupert.ormond at millport.gla.ac.uk > tel: (44)-01475-530581 > fax: (44)-01475-530601 > web: http://www.gla.ac.uk/Acad/Marine/ > > > > ~~~~~~~ > For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the > digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . > ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From sidunn at liverpool.ac.uk Tue May 28 11:56:02 2002 From: sidunn at liverpool.ac.uk (Simon Dunn) Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 16:56:02 +0100 Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching? Message-ID: Just as another comment to this is that the level of tissue degradation resulting in bleaching may account for the level of MAA's / GFP's remaining and hence host pigmentation. Localization of GFP's can be concentrated within the endoderm such as with Goniopora sp. so with the degradation of the endoderm and release of zooxanthellae during environmental stress there may be little or no MAA's / GFP's remaining resulting in a more 'whitened' appearance. However some species have MAA's / GFP's concentrated within the ectoderm such as Discosoma sp., hence when bleaching occurs they may retain the MAA / GFP pigmentation after the zooxanthellae density is reduced. Obviously different levels of stress, whether solar or thermal may result in different proportions of zoox and MAA's/GFPs and also host pigmentation may not be purely associated with GFPs. If anyone has any information regarding non-GFP host pigmentation I would also be very interested. At 16:48 28/05/02 +0100, you wrote: >>===== Original Message From "Mike Matz" ===== >Good question! I myself saw a case when the animal was bleached, but >retained red fluorescent coloration. This was not on the reef, though - this >was a specimen of corallimorph shipped over from Vietnam, on aquarium >business. The bleaching was apparently a consequence of some stress >conditions during shipping. By the way, that guy recovered nicely after >that - regained brown coloration in a week or so in aquarium. It is from >this specimen we cloned the first red-emitting GFP-like protein. The funny >thing is - if the specimen was not bleached upon arrival, we would probably >overlook the red fluorescence of the host tissue, it becomes really >inconspicious as soon as the brown color is back. > >The fact that corals go completely white upon bleaching on reefs, with no >host-tissue colors remaining, might be a consequence of much worse stress >than my aquarium corallimorph suffered. But still, this completeness of >bleaching does seem weird to me. The dissapearance of host pigments might be >linked to zooxanthellae loss, but just as well, it might not. I am not aware >of any reports that would address this. > >Please share your opinions. > >Mike > >----- >Mikhail V. Matz, Ph.D. > >Whitney Laboratory >University of Florida >9505 Ocean Shore blvd >St Augustine FL 32080-8610, USA >phone +1 904 461 4025 >fax +1 904 461 4008 > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Rupert Ormond" >To: >Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2002 5:48 AM >Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching? > > >> Dear Coral Listers >> >> I would be grateful if any of the coral physiologists involved in >bleaching >> work could offer any details on a question that's been put to me a couple >> of times. >> >> The colourful pigments (blues, pinks etc.) that are charateristic of many >> shallow water corals (Acropora etc.) are, as I understand it, located in >> the coral tissue itself. Whereas the pigments present in the >zooxanthellae >> are more or less brown in colour. If coral bleaching (due to elevated >> SSTs) is principally the result of expulsion or loss of zooxanthellae, >then >> why do the corals go completely white. i.e. what happens to the more >> colourful coral pigments? Are they damaged as well but independently by >> temperature induced failure of protective systems? >> >> sincerely, >> >> Rupert Ormond >> >> >> >> >> Dr. Rupert Ormond >> Director, >> University Marine Biological Station Millport, >> Isle of Cumbrae, >> SCOTLAND >> UK KA28 0EG >> >> email: rupert.ormond at millport.gla.ac.uk >> tel: (44)-01475-530581 >> fax: (44)-01475-530601 >> web: http://www.gla.ac.uk/Acad/Marine/ >> >> >> >> ~~~~~~~ >> For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the >> digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . >> > > >~~~~~~~ >For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the >digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . > > Simon R Dunn School of Biological Sciences University of Liverpool Life Sciences Building Crown Street Tel: 0151 794-4373 Liverpool Fax: 0151 794-4393 L69 7ZB Email: sidunn at liv.ac.uk ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From rcarter at rsmas.miami.edu Tue May 28 12:12:43 2002 From: rcarter at rsmas.miami.edu (Robert W. Carter) Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 12:12:43 -0400 Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching? Message-ID: Rupert, I have been studying coral pigmentation (fluorescent proteins) for several years. During this time, I have been able to witness changes in pigmentation of Caribbean corals due to both natural and laboratory bleaching. I do not know much about the (apparently) non-fluorescent pigments found in many Indo-Pacific Acroporid corals (the blues and pinks you mention), but here are a few things I have learned about the closely related fluorescent proteins (this will be from a Caribbean perspective): 1. Corals do not necessarily go completely white during bleaching. I have seen individuals of Montastraea cavernosa displaying a bright pinkish-red fluorescence after bleaching. Mikhail Matz' recent post said something similar but for a completely different group. On more than one occasion and in more then one location, I have seen bleached Montastraea faveolata colonies with their nearly clear tissues exhibiting a bright green fluorescence. These colonies survived the bleaching episode. 2. Even if one can not detect fluorescence by eye in daylight, it may still be possible to see it under the right optical conditions. "Non-fluorescent" corals are often fluorecent under UV or blue excitation, especially when viewed under a fluorescence dissecting microscope. Therefore to say that an animal is "white" may not be accurate, although there may be obvious changes in color or intensity. 3. Individual corals MAY retain coloration for some time after bleaching. I have observed laboratory specimens bleach and recover after several weeks but never completely lose their green color. To directly address your question: The zooxanthellae are expelled first. The animal-derived fluorescent proteins seem to degrade over time. Sometimes quickly, but not always. The rate of loss may be dependent upon the degree of stress. Is this an adaptation whereby the coral is adjusting its coloration to enhance what little photosynthesis it can muster or is it a stress response where the coral is metabolising a vital store of protein? I don't know but I suspect the latter. Rob Carter University of Miami At 10:48 AM 5/28/2002 +0100, you wrote: >Dear Coral Listers > >I would be grateful if any of the coral physiologists involved in bleaching >work could offer any details on a question that's been put to me a couple >of times. > >The colourful pigments (blues, pinks etc.) that are charateristic of many >shallow water corals (Acropora etc.) are, as I understand it, located in >the coral tissue itself. Whereas the pigments present in the zooxanthellae >are more or less brown in colour. If coral bleaching (due to elevated >SSTs) is principally the result of expulsion or loss of zooxanthellae, then >why do the corals go completely white. i.e. what happens to the more >colourful coral pigments? Are they damaged as well but independently by >temperature induced failure of protective systems? > >sincerely, > >Rupert Ormond > > > > >Dr. Rupert Ormond >Director, >University Marine Biological Station Millport, >Isle of Cumbrae, >SCOTLAND >UK KA28 0EG > >email: rupert.ormond at millport.gla.ac.uk >tel: (44)-01475-530581 >fax: (44)-01475-530601 >web: http://www.gla.ac.uk/Acad/Marine/ > > > >~~~~~~~ >For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the >digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . > > ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From J.D.Hedley at newcastle.ac.uk Tue May 28 12:48:16 2002 From: J.D.Hedley at newcastle.ac.uk (J.D. Hedley) Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 17:48:16 +0100 (GMT) Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching? Message-ID: kind of relevant to this discussion is that, if I remember correctly, zooxanthella lose pigments during bleaching as well as being expelled from the coral themselves. I guess the point is that the colour change that occurs during bleaching is the result of many, possibly distinct, physiological processes. John ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From alcolado at ama.cu Tue May 28 13:58:55 2002 From: alcolado at ama.cu (Pedro Alcolado) Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 13:58:55 -0400 Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching? Message-ID: Just, an interesting topic, but please, someone of you, tell me what means MAA / GFP. I am absolutely profane in this subject but am very interested in understanding this phenomenon. Thanks and excuse me for interfering. Pedro Alcolado > Just as another comment to this is that the level of tissue degradation > resulting in bleaching may account for the level of MAA's / GFP's > remaining > and hence host pigmentation. Localization of GFP's can be concentrated > within the endoderm such as with Goniopora sp. so with the degradation > of > the endoderm and release of zooxanthellae during environmental stress > there > may be little or no MAA's / GFP's remaining resulting in a more > 'whitened' > appearance. However some species have MAA's / GFP's concentrated within > the > ectoderm such as Discosoma sp., hence when bleaching occurs they may > retain > the MAA / GFP pigmentation after the zooxanthellae density is reduced. > Obviously different levels of stress, whether solar or thermal may > result > in different proportions of zoox and MAA's/GFPs and also host > pigmentation > may not be purely associated with GFPs. If anyone has any information > regarding non-GFP host pigmentation I would also be very interested. > > > > At 16:48 28/05/02 +0100, you wrote: > >>===== Original Message From "Mike Matz" ===== > >Good question! I myself saw a case when the animal was bleached, but > >retained red fluorescent coloration. This was not on the reef, though - this > >was a specimen of corallimorph shipped over from Vietnam, on aquarium > >business. The bleaching was apparently a consequence of some stress > >conditions during shipping. By the way, that guy recovered nicely after > >that - regained brown coloration in a week or so in aquarium. It is from > >this specimen we cloned the first red-emitting GFP-like protein. The funny > >thing is - if the specimen was not bleached upon arrival, we would probably > >overlook the red fluorescence of the host tissue, it becomes really > >inconspicious as soon as the brown color is back. > > > >The fact that corals go completely white upon bleaching on reefs, with no > >host-tissue colors remaining, might be a consequence of much worse stress > >than my aquarium corallimorph suffered. But still, this completeness of > >bleaching does seem weird to me. The dissapearance of host pigments might be > >linked to zooxanthellae loss, but just as well, it might not. I am not aware > >of any reports that would address this. > > > >Please share your opinions. > > > >Mike > > > >----- > >Mikhail V. Matz, Ph.D. > > > >Whitney Laboratory > >University of Florida > >9505 Ocean Shore blvd > >St Augustine FL 32080-8610, USA > >phone +1 904 461 4025 > >fax +1 904 461 4008 > > > > > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: "Rupert Ormond" > >To: > >Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2002 5:48 AM > >Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching? > > > > > >> Dear Coral Listers > >> > >> I would be grateful if any of the coral physiologists involved in > >bleaching > >> work could offer any details on a question that's been put to me a couple > >> of times. > >> > >> The colourful pigments (blues, pinks etc.) that are charateristic of many > >> shallow water corals (Acropora etc.) are, as I understand it, located in > >> the coral tissue itself. Whereas the pigments present in the > >zooxanthellae > >> are more or less brown in colour. If coral bleaching (due to elevated > >> SSTs) is principally the result of expulsion or loss of zooxanthellae, > >then > >> why do the corals go completely white. i.e. what happens to the more > >> colourful coral pigments? Are they damaged as well but independently by > >> temperature induced failure of protective systems? > >> > >> sincerely, > >> > >> Rupert Ormond > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> Dr. Rupert Ormond > >> Director, > >> University Marine Biological Station Millport, > >> Isle of Cumbrae, > >> SCOTLAND > >> UK KA28 0EG > >> > >> email: rupert.ormond at millport.gla.ac.uk > >> tel: (44)-01475-530581 > >> fax: (44)-01475-530601 > >> web: http://www.gla.ac.uk/Acad/Marine/ > >> > >> > >> > >> ~~~~~~~ > >> For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the > >> digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . > >> > > > > > >~~~~~~~ > >For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the > >digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . > > > > > Simon R Dunn > School of Biological Sciences > University of Liverpool > Life Sciences Building > Crown Street Tel: 0151 794-4373 > Liverpool Fax: 0151 794-4393 > L69 7ZB Email: sidunn at liv.ac.uk > ~~~~~~~ > For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the > digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . > > ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From sauni_s at usp.ac.fj Tue May 28 15:56:20 2002 From: sauni_s at usp.ac.fj (sauni_s at usp.ac.fj) Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 07:56:20 +1200 Subject: Coral Bleaching in Tuvalu and Fiji Message-ID: Dear Gang, A typo in my earlier message. The exact survey date for Tuvalu is from May 2-16, 2002 this year. Thanks to Gang of NOAA for picking it up. Regards Samasoni Sauni Project Coordinator Post Harvest & Fisheries Development Project Marine Studies Program The University of the South Pacific PO Box 1168, Suva, Fiji Islands Tel: 679 212879, 212051 Fax: 679 301490 email: sauni_s at usp.ac.fj ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From szmanta at uncwil.edu Tue May 28 16:06:46 2002 From: szmanta at uncwil.edu (Alina M. Szmant) Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 16:06:46 -0400 Subject: any other signs of bleaching in the Caribbean? Message-ID: Hello Carolina and others: Two weeks ago in the Dry Tortugas we observed bleaching of Palythoa (very white) and moderate bleaching of some Montastraea faveolata type, Porites (astreoides and porites), Acropora cervicornis, and Agaricia. Percent of colonies bleached was still low. Bleached colonies were observed in both shallow water (couple of meters deep) as well as down to 20+ meters. Water temperatures started to warm up very early this spring in Florida (26 oC by late April; usually not until late May or June), and I fear a bad bleaching year. Alina Szmant At 11:03 AM 05/27/2002 -0400, Carolina Bastidas wrote: > Dear coral-listers, > > Within the last two weeks we observed one third of the coral colonies pale > and bleached at the venezuelan CARICOMP site of Parque Nacional Morrocoy. > Affected colonies included species of Montrastea, Colpophyllia and Porites > - the dominant genera in the area - between 4 and 12 meters depth. > > We were wondering if those observations could correspond to early signs of > a widespread bleaching in the Caribbean or some localized phenomena. Any > other observation? > > Thanks, > > > **************************************************** > Carolina Bastidas > Depto. de Biolog?a de Organismos > Universidad Sim?n Bol?var > Apdo. 89000 Caracas 1080 > Venezuela > > Fax: 58-212-9063046 > Tel: 58-212-9063415 > cbastidas at usb.ve > > > > ~~~~~~~ > For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the > digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . > ******************************************************************* Dr. Alina M. Szmant Coral Reef Research Group Professor of Biology Center for Marine Science University of North Carolina at Wilmington 5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane Wilmington NC 28409-5928 tel: (910)962-2362 fax: (910)962-2410 email: szmanta at uncwil.edu http://www.uncwil.edu/people/szmanta/ ****************************************************************** From richardl at fiu.edu Tue May 28 17:00:23 2002 From: richardl at fiu.edu (Laurie Richardson) Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 14:00:23 -0700 Subject: Graduate students working with Caribbean coral ecosystems Message-ID: Dear Graduate Students in Caribbean marine sciences: The Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean is a network of marine labs that, together, have a goal of fostering science and collaboration with regard to Caribbean marine ecosystems. Every two years there is a science meeting, which rotates among member labs. The next science meeting will be in Trinidad in summer of 2003. We are interested in expanding the scope of the AMLC to enhance interaction among graduate students in the Greater Caribbean region. We would like to see a network (email based) in which students can compare notes, foster collaborations, let each other know about the availability of labs for field work, etc. Graduate student membership is $5 per year, which includes two yearly newsletters and the opportunity to present papers (and attend) the science meetings. If you are interested in this new venture, please contact graduate student Josh Voss. His email address is: jvoss001 at fiu.edu. To apply for membership (and learn more about our organization), please see the AMLC website. The address is http://amlc.uvi.edu. Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you. Laurie Richardson, AMLC Membership Director ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From peck at hawaii.edu Tue May 28 17:49:13 2002 From: peck at hawaii.edu (Sara Peck) Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 11:49:13 -1000 Subject: FW: MPA Benefits - In Numbers Message-ID: I would like to have same if availble. SPeck At 10:40 PM 3/7/02 +0000, Zsolt Sary wrote: >I too was under the impression that little direct >evidence exists to show that fishers can recover in >increased catches what they give up in reduced fishing >gounds. So I would be interested to see what evidence >Callum presents to confirm those theoretical >predictions. > >Is the article available in PDF format somewhere? > >Thanks, > >Zsolt Sary >ARC Environmental Ltd. >Kamloops, BC >Canada > > --- "Samantha . Whitcraft" > wrote: > FYI...original >reply sent directly to Don Baker's > > inquiry... > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Samantha . Whitcraft > > Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2002 12:56 PM > > To: 'pacaqts' > > Subject: RE: MPA Benefits - In Numbers > > > > > > See Roberts, Callum M. et al. "Effects of Marine > > Reserves on Adjacent > > Fisheries" in Science Volume 294 November 2001 > > > > An excellent article that "confirms theoretical > > predictions that marine > > reserves can play a key role in supporting > > fisheries." Science p. 1920 > > > > Hope that helps. > > > > Aloha, > > Sam > > > > Ocean Program Manager > > Kaho'olawe Island Reserve > > Wailuku HI 96793 > > ph. 808-243-5889 > > fx. 808-243-5885 > > pg. 297-1917 > > www.state.hi.us/kirc > > ____________________________________________ > > E lawe i ke a'o a malama, a e 'oi mau ka na'auao. > > (He who takes his > > teachings and applies them increases his knowledge.) > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: pacaqts [mailto:pacaqts at tm.net.my] > > Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2002 11:43 AM > > To: coral-list at aoml.noaa.gov > > Subject: MPA Benefits - In Numbers > > > > > > Dear Coral - List Members, > > > > Though MPAs have a great many benefits with regards > > to observations , > > statements in a stack of MPA pubs, etc. - where may > > I quickly find direct > > research and studies references that "do the > > numbers?" The politicians and > > Gov. economic advisers simply say to us 'Yeah, well > > good & fine - talk is > > talk - but show us the figures - where you can prove > > to us that fisheries > > stocks are indeed enhanced by MPAs?" > > > > I need case examples with those numbers and not just > > words, observations, > > and perhaps institutional / academic 'whitewashing'. > > An example of numbers > > would be a historical record of past catch landings > > vs those after the MPA > > establishment - with direct, verifiable correlation > > to the MPA of course. > > Anyone comment on Apo? > > > > Any assistance would be well appreciated here. > > > > Many thanks, > > Don Baker > > Lankayan-Billean-Tegaipil MPA > > Sabah, Malaysia > > > > > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Everything you'll ever need on one web page >from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts >http://uk.my.yahoo.com >~~~~~~~ >For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the >digests, please visit http://www.coral.noaa.gov, click on Popular on the >menu bar, then click on Coral-List Listserver. ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From pmuller at seas.marine.usf.edu Tue May 28 18:30:06 2002 From: pmuller at seas.marine.usf.edu (Pam Muller) Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 18:30:06 -0400 Subject: any other signs of bleaching in the Caribbean? Message-ID: Carolina: I was at Cayman Brac last week; water temperature was about 28 C instead of 26, which is apparently more typical for this time of year. I saw bleaching similar to that Alina Szmant just reported from the Tortugas. Pale and very occasionally bleached Agaricia were most common; pale Montastrea spp. were also observed. I didn't notice any pale Porites or Acropora cervicornis, and didn't see any Palythoa. My dive partner commented on the way home that he didn't see any. We did 14 dives, 5 to about 30 m; I noticed pale Agaricia on my first dive at about 28 m. Please note that these were casual observations; I was not collecting data. Pamela Hallock College of Marine Science University of South Florida Carolina Bastidas wrote: > Dear coral-listers, > > Within the last two weeks we observed one third of the coral colonies pale > and bleached at the venezuelan CARICOMP site of Parque Nacional Morrocoy. > Affected colonies included species of Montrastea, Colpophyllia and Porites > - the dominant genera in the area - between 4 and 12 meters depth. > > We were wondering if those observations could correspond to early signs of > a widespread bleaching in the Caribbean or some localized phenomena. Any > other observation? > > Thanks, > > **************************************************** > Carolina Bastidas > Depto. de Biolog?a de Organismos > Universidad Sim?n Bol?var > Apdo. 89000 Caracas 1080 > Venezuela > > Fax: 58-212-9063046 > Tel: 58-212-9063415 > cbastidas at usb.ve > > ~~~~~~~ > For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the > digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From alison at gbrmpa.gov.au Wed May 29 06:55:56 2002 From: alison at gbrmpa.gov.au (Alison Green) Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 20:55:56 +1000 (EST) Subject: No subject Message-ID: Dear Coral Listers Chuck Birkeland, Dave Fisk and I completed an intensive survey of the reefs on five islands in American Samoa (Tutuila, Aunu'u, and Manu'a Islands) for the local Dept of Marine and Wildlife Resources in March. During the survey, we assessed the level of coral bleaching at each of ~30 sites using a standardised protocol developed by GBRMPA. I haven't had a chance to work up the data yet, but my impression was of low to moderate levels of bleaching (with the most bleaching recorded on the north shore of Tutuila). A more detailed report will be available in the next few months. Alison Green ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From EricHugo at aol.com Wed May 29 09:23:45 2002 From: EricHugo at aol.com (EricHugo at aol.com) Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 09:23:45 EDT Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching? Message-ID: Hi Rob and list: I had written back to Rupert privately, but thought would add my agreement to what you and others have said, and provide a photo of the fluorescing proteins in a coral following bleaching for an article on coral (Euphyllia parancora) bleaching I wrote for an aquarium publication. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2002/cw.htm The retention of fluorescing proteins is quite common, although seem to vanish over time, as you mention. Likewise, I suspect metabolism for one of the two reasons you mention, and also suspect the latter one. Eric Hugo Borneman Department of Biology and Biochemistry Division in Ecology and Evolution 258, SR II University of Houston Houston, TX 77204 EBorneman at uh.edu or EricHugo at aol.com ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From firefish at sltnet.lk Wed May 29 09:25:06 2002 From: firefish at sltnet.lk (Prasanna Weerakkody) Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 19:25:06 +0600 (GMT) Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching? Message-ID: One thing that I found very interesting at the onset of the 1998 bleaching monitoring in Sri Lanka was that some corals took on a brilliant ultramarine blue for a couple of days before bleaching into blue. this was mostly observed on colonies of Acropora formosa and couple of Montipora species. I'm talking about whole colonies (2-3meters across) going deep blue. I sure would like to have an explanation for this if there is one. An additional note that there was a mild bleaching event that we were observing on several south coast reefs in Sri Lanka during April. The corals had become significantly paler overall, (60-70% of colonies) but none had bleached into pure white except for development of completely bleached spots ranging from 5-15 cm across on some colonies. I have not been able to monitor for the last month but the indications were that things would be easing up with the arrival of the Indian Ocean monsoon. Prasanna At 10:48 AM 28-05-02 +0100, you wrote: >Dear Coral Listers > >I would be grateful if any of the coral physiologists involved in bleaching >work could offer any details on a question that's been put to me a couple >of times. > >The colourful pigments (blues, pinks etc.) that are charateristic of many >shallow water corals (Acropora etc.) are, as I understand it, located in >the coral tissue itself. Whereas the pigments present in the zooxanthellae >are more or less brown in colour. If coral bleaching (due to elevated >SSTs) is principally the result of expulsion or loss of zooxanthellae, then >why do the corals go completely white. i.e. what happens to the more >colourful coral pigments? Are they damaged as well but independently by >temperature induced failure of protective systems? > >sincerely, > >Rupert Ormond > > > > >Dr. Rupert Ormond >Director, >University Marine Biological Station Millport, >Isle of Cumbrae, >SCOTLAND >UK KA28 0EG > >email: rupert.ormond at millport.gla.ac.uk >tel: (44)-01475-530581 >fax: (44)-01475-530601 >web: http://www.gla.ac.uk/Acad/Marine/ > > > >~~~~~~~ >For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the >digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . > > > Prasanna Weerakkody Nature Conservation Group No.9, Balapokuna place, Colombo 6. Sri Lanka E-mail: firefish at sltnet.lk Ph: 941-856041 ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From atmu at soc.soton.ac.uk Wed May 29 11:31:06 2002 From: atmu at soc.soton.ac.uk (Alex Mustard) Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 15:31:06 +0000 Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching? Message-ID: To Prasanna & rest of the list, I have observed similar pastel pink and blue coloured corals both in the Maldives in May 1998 (at the onset of the severe bleaching event) and in Thailand in May 2002. Follow this link for a recent image from Thailand: http://www.soc.soton.ac.uk/GDD/hydro/atmu/ecology/chapter7/bleach.jpg To my mind, these pastel colours are not (only) fluorescent because it is possible to photograph them with a standard underwater flash, which usually overpowers coral fluorescence. I have been told (by two independent people working on bleaching) that these colourful pigments are actually different strains of zooxanthellae that are more resistant to bleaching. These pastel colours seem to be a transition stage in bleaching? For those who are interested, I observed the recent bleaching event in Thailand while on vacation in the Similan Islands. While corals were paler than "normal" for at least 10 days prior (start of my holiday), I observed very dramatic changes in colour on the 5th & 6th May. On those 2 days, I spent about 7 hours in the water and subjectively felt I was seeing noticeable changes in colony colour on a time scale of hours. The most extensive bleaching was at depths between 3-6m on the reef flat, and 5-8m on the fore reef. Acropora and Pocillopora were most bleached ~70% of colonies, others much less ~20%. Acropora, Pocillopora, Fungia and Porites all showed the "pastel colours". Bleaching intensified right up until my last dive of my trip (06 May 2002). These observations are backed up by photographs, which I am happy to share on request, but no data (holiday!). Dive computers indicated water temperatures between 30-32C above a thermocline at 15-25m (27-28C below). Comparable temps to those reported by Brown et al. (2000) Nature. 404: 142-143. Regards Alex > One thing that I found very interesting at the onset of the 1998 bleaching > monitoring in Sri Lanka was that some corals took on a brilliant > ultramarine > blue for a couple of days before bleaching into blue. this was mostly > observed on colonies of Acropora formosa and couple of Montipora species. > I'm talking about whole colonies (2-3meters across) going deep blue. I > sure > would like to have an explanation for this if there is one. > > An additional note that there was a mild bleaching event that we were > observing on several south coast reefs in Sri Lanka during April. The > corals > had become significantly paler overall, (60-70% of colonies) but none had > bleached into pure white except for development of completely bleached > spots > ranging from 5-15 cm across on some colonies. I have not been able to > monitor for the last month but the indications were that things would be > easing up with the arrival of the Indian Ocean monsoon. > > Prasanna -- Dr Alexander Mustard T +44 (0)23 80 59 60 16 George Deacon Division F +44 (0)23 80 59 62 47 Southampton Oceanography Centre M +44 (0)78 76 52 31 10 European Way, Southampton E atmu at soc.soton.ac.uk SO14 3ZH, UK From imiller at aims.gov.au Wed May 29 19:35:50 2002 From: imiller at aims.gov.au (imiller) Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 09:35:50 +1000 Subject: Coral bleaching Message-ID: Dear Listers If you have a look at our last survey update from the AIMS Long Term Monitoring Program there is a photo of partially bleached corals. http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/reef-monitoring/ltm/ltm20020205-gbr.html One of the major findings of this survey was that the vast majority of corals off-shore were partially bleached with only a relatively small proportion bleached totally white. Cheers Ian ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From rupert.ormond at millport.gla.ac.uk Thu May 30 04:34:14 2002 From: rupert.ormond at millport.gla.ac.uk (Rupert Ormond) Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 09:34:14 +0100 Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching Message-ID: Dear Coral-Listers, many THANKS to all those who reponded to my enquiry. I'll try and summarise the various information in due course, but meanwhile a few points seem to have emerged strongly. a) some corals have their own pigments in the ectodermal tissue, and some apparently in the endoderm b) it's generally presumed that the endodermal pigments can be lost along with the zoox as the endodermal cells that carry them break down c) clearly loss of these pigments doesn't always coincide with loss zoox, since with mild bleaching partially bleached coral can be seen which may be have lost one but not the other d) in particular the flourescent pigments in some corals (especially Acropora) may survive bleaching, giving them that "psychodelic glow" that observers have described. sincerely, Rupert Dr. Rupert Ormond Director, University Marine Biological Station Millport, Isle of Cumbrae, SCOTLAND UK KA28 0EG email: rupert.ormond at millport.gla.ac.uk tel: (44)-01475-530581 fax: (44)-01475-530601 web: http://www.gla.ac.uk/Acad/Marine/ ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From cfrew at asiaticmarine.com Thu May 30 07:08:26 2002 From: cfrew at asiaticmarine.com (Charles Frew) Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 07:08:26 -0400 Subject: Shark Finning Message-ID: Dear All, I was very kindly given your contact details by Mike Ross (Cebu, Philippines) in hope that you might be able to assist me. I have recently returned from Shark Conference 2002: Sustainable Utilization and Conservation of Sharks which was held in Taipei during May. As expected shark fin traders were there in numbers listening to what we had to say. One or two were concerned about diminishing shark populations. At the end of the conference, one of the traders told me that they were now going to target the shark stocks of East Timor, especially the prized fins of Hammerheads. You might also like to know that Indonesia is the highest exporter (globally) of shark fins, with India coming 2 nd. Therefore I would be grateful if this email could be forwarded to (a) the dive shops, FreeFlow -Luke Jones, Dive Timor Lorasae and any other establishments with a vested marine interest within East Timor, and to (b) an official linked to fisheries in East Timor. I hope that something can be done, but I fear that 'finning' will be too much of an economic incentive for both local and 'other' archipelago fishermen. Please keep me informed if you have or hear any news. Regards, Charles Frew ************************************************* Charles Frew, MSc Director Asiatic Marine Limited Hong Kong SAR Tel/Fax: (852) 2104 2297 Mobile: (852) 9831 5410 email: cfrew at asiaticmarine.com http://www.asiaticmarine.com Marine Surveys Underwater Filming Shark Diving Expeditions *************************************************** This e-mail, and any attachment, is confidential. If you have received it in error, please delete it from your system, do not use or disclose the information in any way, and notify me immediately. The contents of this message may contain personal views which are not the views of Asiatic Marine Limited, unless specifically stated. ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . From anya at emu.usyd.edu.au Fri May 31 02:20:46 2002 From: anya at emu.usyd.edu.au (Anya Salih) Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 16:20:46 +1000 Subject: Coloured Pigments and Coral Bleaching? Message-ID: Hi everyone, For the last 6 yrs or so I've studied fluorescent pigments in corals on the Great Barrier Reef, ecology and biology as well as microstructure. I agree with Rob that during bleaching, not all corals loose fluorescent pigments. Severely bleached or otherwise stressed corals loose much fluorescent pigmentation as a result of tissue degradation. When green fluorescent corals bleach, the yellow-green hue of fluorescent pigments is clearly visible in daylight. Blue fluorescent pigments (as in picture 1-2 at http://www.emu.usyd.edu.au/research/figures.html) with emissions 476-484 nm, are generally invisible in daylight and bleached corals appear white. Yellow, orange and red fluorescent pigmentation is quite apparent in bleached corals. Expression of both fluorescent and the weakly fluorescent pink/blue pigments is triggered by sunlight (visible spectrum). Pigment expression, at least in some corals, is up-regulated during bleaching, but only in corals exposed to sunlight. regards Anya >Dear Coral Listers > >I would be grateful if any of the coral physiologists involved in bleaching >work could offer any details on a question that's been put to me a couple >of times. > >The colourful pigments (blues, pinks etc.) that are charateristic of many >shallow water corals (Acropora etc.) are, as I understand it, located in >the coral tissue itself. Whereas the pigments present in the zooxanthellae >are more or less brown in colour. If coral bleaching (due to elevated >SSTs) is principally the result of expulsion or loss of zooxanthellae, then >why do the corals go completely white. i.e. what happens to the more >colourful coral pigments? Are they damaged as well but independently by >temperature induced failure of protective systems? > >sincerely, > >Rupert Ormond > > > > >Dr. Rupert Ormond >Director, >University Marine Biological Station Millport, >Isle of Cumbrae, >SCOTLAND >UK KA28 0EG > >email: rupert.ormond at millport.gla.ac.uk >tel: (44)-01475-530581 >fax: (44)-01475-530601 >web: http://www.gla.ac.uk/Acad/Marine/ > > > >~~~~~~~ >For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the >digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html . -- Dr Anya Salih APD(I) Research Fellow Electron Microscope Unit & The Australian Key Centre for Microscopy & Microanalysis Madsen Building FO9 Email: anya at emu.usyd.edu.au The University of Sydney Telephone: 02-93517540 Sydney, 2006, AUSTRALIA Facsimile: 02-93517682 http://www.emu.usyd.edu.au/research/anya_research.html ~~~~~~~ For directions on subscribing and unsubscribing to coral-list or the digests, please see http://www.coral.noaa.gov/lists/coral-list.html .