[Coral-List] Responding to Coral Bleaching
Andrew Ross
ross.andrew at mac.com
Thu Sep 17 12:52:01 EDT 2015
Doug & Austin,
What Austin is describing might be akin to the recreational hunting programmes for lionfish in the Caribbean
“Eat it to beat it” etc.
Problem in transferring to COT might be:
Lionfish are a) tasty b) easy and c) invasive, thus with reduced karmic baggage.
COTs, unfortunately
a) hasn’t got a straightforward secondary value such as lunch and
b) is often difficult to remove from the reef while poisoning doesn’t provide a “trophy”.
c) Overpopulation &/or ecosystem damage arguments may mitigate one’s issues with St Peter et al.
So, how do we make COT hunting “sexy” to bring in the recreational?
b) Trophy:
Methods that remove the animal from the water for a photo or competitive-count expose the diver to stings and tend to be relatively inefficient.
Air-inflating methods might start to get around that.
a) Food/use:
A soup or roe-based sushi?
Chicken feed?
Do they at least make a decent garden fertilizer?
c) Karma:
May be a paid "voluntourism” activity,
though this often gets its own complications, particularly as key areas get hunted-out and less efficient for the hunter/operator.
With collection (trophy & Facebook photos) would be better, but such volunteers may be amenable to poisoning.
Thinking out loud,
Andrew Ross Ph.D.
Seascape Caribbean
> On Sep 16, 2015, at 5:19 PM, Douglas Fenner <douglasfennertassi at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I think this is a GREAT idea!!
>
> When there are millions of crown-of-thorns starfish, trying to control
> them has not worked. However, in a situation like that you describe, there
> are not so many. Maybe we were all scared off by the impossibility of
> controlling millions of them. But when there are modest numbers, we really
> can make a difference. In American Samoa, we had the beginnings of an
> outbreak in the last few years. People got concerned, and started killing
> them. National Parks is devoting significant effort to lead the way in
> controlling them, and so far it is working brilliantly. Like cancer, if
> you catch an outbreak early enough, you may be able to control it.
> We're all super frustrated that all we can do is sit by and watch
> bleaching kill coral. But this is something we can do, which can make a
> real difference.
> Your observations remind me of the paper by Nancy Knowlton, Judy Lang
> and Brian Keller on the Acropora in Jamaica after Hurricane Allen broke so
> much coral, killing it, in 1980. The Acropora started to come back over
> the next 3 years, but then the Coraliophila snails ate the smaller amount
> remaining, just as you describe. After that, the reef there has stayed
> stuck in a low-coral, high-algae phase for decades.
> Killing crown-of-thorns is very practical, and every kill saves
> coral. Crown-of-Thorns as a species will survive, you can't get the last
> ones, but you can return them to close to their natural, very-low densities
> that are present between outbreaks.
> Further, the best empirical support for the cause of outbreaks is
> nutrients that fuel phytoplankton that feeds starfish larvae, increasing
> larval survival. If humans add to the nutrients, then part of the cause of
> outbreaks may be human impacts. Removing the starfish is helping restore a
> natural ecosystem. Plus save more of the temperature-tolerant corals that
> survived, we need all of those we can get!
> So, splendid idea!! I understand that injection kits are currently
> the most efficient way to kill them. Managers rarely get to benefit the
> reef directly, this is one of the few instances. In the long run, if an
> area is impacted by human-produced nutrient runoff, then reducing that
> nutrient runoff may reduce crown-of-thorns outbreak frequency and benefit
> the reef that way. The ability of the coral community to recover from
> bleaching mortality is resilience, so removing crown-of-thorns is
> increasing reef resilience. Good thing to do.
>
> Cheers, Doug
>
> Knowlton N, Lang JC, Keller BD (1990) Case study of natural population
> collapse: post-hurricane predation on Jamaican staghorn corals.
> Smithsonian Contributions in Marine Science, 31: 1-25
>
> Birkeland C (1982) Terrestrial runoff as a cause of outbreaks of *Acanthaster
> planci*. Marine Biology 69: 175-185.
>
>
> Birkeland, C. 1989. The Faustian traits of the crown-of-thorns starfish.
> American Scientist 77: 154-163.
>
>
> Brodie, J., Fabricius, K., De'ath, G., Okaji, K. 2005. Are increased
> nutrient inputs responsible for more outbreaks of crown-of-thorns
> starfish? An appraisal of the evidence. Marine Pollution Bulletin 51:
> 266-278.
>
> On Wed, Sep 16, 2015 at 8:23 AM, Austin Bowden-Kerby <abowdenkerby at gmail.com
>> wrote:
>
>> Dear Friends,
>>
>> The reports of massive bleaching developing in both the Pacific and
>> Caribbean are quite concerning to us all. Is there nothing we can do but
>> stand by and passively watch? I propose an alternative approach.
>>
>> In Fiji, the massive bleaching event of 2000 killed 90% or more of the
>> corals on some of our Southern Reefs. The few surviving unbleached corals
>> provided hope that the reefs could adapt over time, however
>> *Acanthaster *(COTS)
>> subsequently killed most of these surviving corals on many of these reefs.
>> The probable explanation is simple: before the bleaching, COTS were in a
>> state of low relative abundance, but once most of the corals were gone,
>> their relative abundance with respect to the corals became extremely high
>> and thus deadly for the surviving bleaching resistant corals, particularly
>> their favored prey *Acropora* and *Pocillopora*. In the Dominican
>> Republic, we saw a similar post-bleaching scenario in 2005, but with
>> *Coraliophila* snails and *Hermodice* fire worms as the predators.
>>
>> Might this be the ideal time to mobilize community groups to conduct major
>> COTS removal programs in the Pacific- at least for reefs with high
>> recreational value? The alternative is for concerned people to stand by
>> and watch in horror, as their precious reefs die of causes that (for the
>> most part) they are powerless to control. If COTS removal were done in a
>> systematic manner, control reefs (without COTS removal) could be
>> established for comparative purposes to get an indication of the relative
>> effectiveness of COTS removal as a proactive climate change adaptation
>> strategy for bleaching stressed reefs.
>>
>> A single COTS can kill a fist-sized coral every day, and that translates to
>> massive amounts of corals consumed. Every coral that survives this
>> major bleaching event represents a genetic treasure
>> vital for the future survival of coral reefs on the planet. Now is the
>> time to act, to ensure that these corals survive the post-bleaching
>> predator plagues that can be expected nearly everywhere.
>>
>> I recently submitted a proposal to USAID PACCAM that was turned down, to
>> assist Kiribati with their bleaching emergency. The proposed strategy
>> involved three components: 1. Protecting surviving (bleaching resistant)
>> corals through a systematic coral predator removal program carried out on
>> specific reef patches, 2. Collection of small fragments of surviving,
>> non-bleached (heat-adapted) corals and establishment within coral nurseries
>> secure from predation, and 3. At one year and beyond the nursery corals are
>> trimmed to produce second-generation, bleaching resistant corals for
>> out-planting into selected reef patches.
>>
>> Where possible, the bleaching resistant corals are planted into no-take
>> Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), to take advantage of the greater ecological
>> balance and lower abundance of coral predators there. Communities should be
>> very much a part of this process, and should be engaged and mobilized. The
>> result will be increased human resources involved in nurturing pockets of
>> exceptional coral reef health that are composed of bleaching resistant
>> corals that have a higher probability of surviving into the future.
>>
>> All the best,
>>
>> Austin
>>
>> Austin Bowden-Kerby, PhD
>> Corals for Conservation
>> P.O. Box 649 Samabula
>> Fiji Islands
>> abowdenkerby at gmail.com
>> Facebook: Corals for Conservation
>>
>> On Thu, Sep 17, 2015 at 6:14 AM, Austin Bowden-Kerby <
>> abowdenkerby at gmail.com
>>> wrote:
>>
>>> Sorry, Gmail won't let me change the subject heading.
>>>
>>> Responding to Coral Bleaching
>>>
>>> Dear Friends,
>>>
>>> The reports of massive bleaching developing in both the Pacific and
>>> Caribbean are quite concerning to us all. Is there nothing we can do
>> but
>>> stand by and passively watch? I propose and alternative approach.
>>>
>>> In Fiji, the massive bleaching event of 2000 killed 90% or more of the
>>> corals on some of our Southern Reefs. The few surviving unbleached corals
>>> provided hope that the reefs could adapt over time, however
>>> *Acanthaster *(COTS) subsequently killed most of these surviving
>>> corals on many of these reefs. The probable explanation is simple:
>> before
>>> the bleaching, COTS were in a state of low relative abundance, but once
>>> most of the corals were gone, their relative abundance became extremely
>>> high and thus deadly for the surviving bleaching resistant corals,
>>> particularly their favored prey *Acropora* and *Pocillopora*. In the
>>> Dominican Republic, we saw a similar post-bleaching scenario in 2005, but
>>> with *Coraliophila* snails and *Hermodice* fire worms as the predators.
>>>
>>> Might this be the ideal time to mobilize community groups to conduct
>> major
>>> COTS removal programs in the Pacific- at least for reefs with high
>>> recreational value? The alternative is for concerned people to stand by
>>> and watch in horror, as their precious reefs die of causes that (for the
>>> most part) they are powerless to control. If COTS removal were done in
>> a
>>> systematic manner, control reefs (without COTS removal) could be
>>> established for comparative purposes.
>>>
>>> A single COTS can kill a fist-sized coral every day, and that translates
>>> to massive amounts of corals consumed. Every coral that survives this
>>> massive bleaching event represents a genetic treasure vital for the
>> future
>>> survival of coral reefs on the planet. Now I the time to act, to ensure
>>> that these corals survive the post-bleaching predator plagues that can be
>>> expected nearly everywhere.
>>>
>>> I recently submitted a proposal to USAID PACCAM that was turned down, to
>>> assist Kiribati with their bleaching emergency. The proposed strategy
>>> involves three components: 1. Protecting surviving (bleaching resistant)
>>> corals through a systematic coral predator removal program carried out on
>>> specific reef patches, 2. Collection of small fragments of surviving,
>>> non-bleached (heat-adapted) corals and establishment within coral
>> nurseries
>>> secure from predation, and 3. At one year and beyond the nursery corals
>>> are trimmed to produce second-generation, bleaching resistant corals for
>>> out-planting into selected reef patches. Where possible, the corals are
>>> planted into no-take Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), to take advantage of
>>> the greater ecological balance and lower abundance of coral predators
>>> there. Communities should be very much a part of this process,
>>> and should be engaged and mobilized. The result will be increased human
>>> resources involved in nurturing pockets of exceptional coral reef health,
>>> composed of corals that are bleaching resistant and that have a higher
>>> probability of surviving into the future.
>>>
>>> All the best,
>>>
>>> Austin
>>>
>>> Austin Bowden-Kerby, PhD
>>> Corals for Conservation
>>> P.O. Box 649 Samabula
>>> Fiji Islands
>>> abowdenkerby at gmail.com
>>> Facebook: Corals for Conservation
>>>
>>>
>>>> Message: 3
>>>> Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2015 06:10:56 -0400
>>>> From: Shelly-Ann Cox <scox at cimh.edu.bb>
>>>> Subject: [Coral-List] September Issue of the Caribbean Coral Reef
>>>> Watch Bulletin Available!
>>>> To: coralwatch at cimh.edu.bb
>>>> Message-ID: <bc9ce0f518b1baf2af640c84d7756c25 at cimh.edu.bb>
>>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
>>>>
>>>> Dear Colleagues,
>>>>
>>>> We're pleased to announce the release of the latest issue of the Coral
>>>> Reef Watch Bulletin.
>>>>
>>>> Notable observations include:
>>>> - A strong El Ni?o has developed.
>>>> - Alert level 1 issued for Central Bahamas and Northwest Cuba. Bleaching
>>>> warnings issued for Belize, Turks and Caicos Islands and all the islands
>>>> in the Greater and Lesser Antilles.
>>>> - Reports of paling and disease outbreaks have begun in Florida. Partial
>>>> bleaching signs observed in Mona Island, Puerto Rico.
>>>>
>>>> Read the full issue: http://bit.ly/CRW_Sept_Issue4
>>>>
>>>> Best wishes,
>>>> Shelly-Ann
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Shelly-Ann Cox
>>>> Research Associate
>>>> The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH)
>>>> Address: Husbands, St. James, Barbados
>>>> Tel: 1(246)425-1362/3
>>>> Fax: 1(246)424-4733
>>>> Skype ID: shellyanncox
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Austin Bowden-Kerby, PhD
>> Corals for Conservation
>> P.O. Box 4649 Samabula, Fiji Islands
>> https://www.facebook.com/C4Conservation
>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009j6wb
>>
>> Sustainable Environmental Livelihoods Farm
>> Km 20 Sigatoka Valley Road, Fiji Islands
>> (679) 938-6437
>>
>> http://permacultureglobal.com/projects/1759-sustainable-environmental-livelihoods-farm-Fiji
>> https://www.facebook.com/teiteifarmstay
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>>
>
>
>
> --
> Douglas Fenner
> Contractor with Ocean Associates, Inc.
> PO Box 7390
> Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 USA
>
> phone 1 684 622-7084
>
> Join the International Society for Reef Studies. Membership includes a
> subscription to the journal Coral Reefs, there are discounts for pdf
> subscriptions and developing countries. www.fit.edu/isrs/
>
> "Belief in climate change is optional, participation is not."- Jim Beever.
> "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not to their own facts."-
> Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
>
> Energy policy: push renewables to spur carbon pricing. (the world
> subsidizes fossil fuels a half Trillion dollars a year!)
>
> http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v525/n7567/full/nature14876.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20150904&spMailingID=49465812&spUserID=MjA1NTA3MjA0OQS2&spJobID=760401953&spReportId=NzYwNDAxOTUzS0
>
> Worst-case scenario: if we burn all remaining fossil fuels, Antarctica
> would melt entirely, raise sea level 200 feet.
>
> http://www.newsweek.com/worst-case-scenario-if-we-burn-all-remaining-fossil-fuels-antarctica-would-371280
>
> 5 trillion tons of ice lost since 2002. (that's trillion with a "T".
> Check the steady loss in the graphs.)
>
> http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2015/09/03/ice_loss_greenland_and_antarctica_lost_5_trillion_tons_since_1992.html
>
>
> website: http://independent.academia.edu/DouglasFenner
>
> blog: http://ocean.si.edu/blog/reefs-american-samoa-story-hope
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