Addition to 1997-98 Mass Coral Bleaching

[Clive Wilkinson]

1997-98 Mass Coral Bleaching - One Year Later

Tom Hourigan <Tom.Hourigan at noaa.gov> the Biodiversity specialist at NOAA
asked for additional information:

Do you have any quantitative information (or qualitative) on changes in
fish abundance on reefs where bleaching occurred? Impacts on fisheries are
probably the most important short- to medium-term socioeconomic impact of
bleaching.  The Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat is drafting
a paper on the impacts of bleaching and any information will go to that
report.

The GCRMN will update the report  published in 'Status of Coral Reefs of
the World: 1998' and on the Internet as: http://www.aims.gov.au/scr1998

Please send reports and anecdotal observations to c.wilkinson at aims.gov.au
and Tom.Hourigan at noaa.gov on ALL areas bleached or not. 

* name and area (approx Lat. and Long.);

* extent of bleaching in 1997-98 % live coral cover, numbers of species
bleached or not; other organisms 

* any recovery or resistance to bleaching and depths;

* any new recruitment (and what families recruited)?

* other major comments.

A few authors have provided results ready for publication - there will be
an impressive set of papers from this event - we are preparing a synthesis
of these reports. We need many more reports please .....



Thank you 

Clive Wilkinson