[Coral-List] Reef Remnancy not resiliency

[Tom Williams]

Phil 

Agreed - what is left after 50-100years of farm
runoff, fertilizer, golf courses, bottle/dynamite
blasting, etc. would be a better question - at this
stage, every coral should be precious and protected,
but they are in the wrong places.... 

Recent discussions regarding Arabian/Persian Gulf and
Red Sea, and East Malaysia, Philippines, and
Majuro/Marshalls can be added to the Keys.  Costs $50
to reclaim and can sell for $500...OK 

But some for Dubai Claim that programs are underway to
mitigate and compensate after the fact and since fish
like the reclamation it is improved.

Dr. Tom Williams

The original is too long 

--- Phil Dustan <dustanp at cofc.edu> wrote:
> Dear Coral List,
I’d like to thank everyone for participating in the
discussion about 
> healthy reefs in teh Florida Keys. I've gotten lots
> of response but no 
> one can point to a healthy reef, because there are
> none left. And 
> probably haven't been for a long time.
> 
My point is that before we talk about resilience,
> maybe we can reach a 
> true consensus that the reefs are a mere shadow of
> their past. By my 
> calculations nad measurments, the Keys have lost
> over 90% of their 
> living coral since we began to study them in the
> 1960s and 70s. The 
> Tortugas are in better shape, but are also losing
> vitality pretty fast 
> too. This is shameful. All this time we have been
> talking about studies, 
> monitoring, and awareness and the house has been in
> full flames right in 
> front of our faces. Shame on everyone that wants to
> minimize this or, 
> even worse, deny it.  The authorities should be
> worried about how to 
> protect what is left, and should have been fully
> engaged in this years 
> ago, but everyone wants to pretend that it’s patchy,
> or not here, or 
> look over there, there’s a new recruit!  Worse yet,
> some want us to 
> think that we can remake the reef with concrete or
> boulders- the built 
> it and they will come mentality. There really is no
> point in continuing 
> to wear a smiley face.  Looking for patches that are
> the remnants of a 
> far greater luxuriance, without documenting
> (georeferencing) the losses 
> that are far greater, supports this form of denial.