Coral Reefs:

• Provide habitat and nursery grounds for twenty five percent of all known marine species - that's four thousand different fish species, seven hundred coral species  and thousands of other plants and animals that depend on reefs for life.

• Are vital to the billions of people who depend on them as a major source of food, income, coastal protection and medicine.
  

• Are threatened worldwide.  Up to thirty percent of the world's reefs have already died; another thirty percent are severely damaged.  New research indicates more than half the worlds coral reefs could die in less than twenty five years.

 

Hawai'i's coral reefs are under attack from pollution

"Why doesn't this trash get cleaned up?"  I've heard this question asked many times as Waikiki beachgoers, snorkelers and scuba divers see the plastic trash floating on the water's surface in the harbor.  It's somebody else's job, some eco group's mission to clean the mess up, right?

Wrong.  The truth is, unless everyone - and that means you - takes an active part in reducing consumption, pollution and cleaning up, the marine debris issues will never be solved.  It sounds like a negative statement, but its actually a positive one if you think about it.  Marine litter is an entirely solvable problem.  Because this trash, much of it plastic, falls from human hands - not out of the sky. 

Instead of asking, why doesn't somebody clean this up?  Perhaps we should ask, What can I do to help?

 

Marine Debris

Man-made trash from land or ships, and abandoned fishing gear can accumulate and be carried vast distances by ocean currents.  The effect is damage to coral, entanglement of turtles and marine animals, ingestion by seabirds, eyesores on local beaches, and more.

Marine debris is a problem across the Hawaiian archipelago, from the Northwest Hawaiian Islands to the Big Island, Hawaii.

Ocean currents bring and estimated 57 tons of garbage and discarded fishing gear each year to the chain of ten northwestern Hawaiian islands and waters surrounding them.  The refuse snares endangered monk seals, smothers coral reefs and fills the guts of albatrosses and their young with indigestible plastic.

Debris removal, meanwhile has averaged 35 tons a year since the islands became a Marine Monument.  The combination of currents, its remote location and a plethora of endangered species make marine debris in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands arguably the worst ocean trash problem in the world.  Circular gyre currents funnel plastic, lighters and fishing nets from all over the Pacific Ocean to the islands as if they were a drain in a gigantic sink.

Keeping our oceans and coral reefs clean and healthy allows our favorite dive sites to flourish, and ensures we can continue to dive the splendor that covers two thirds of our planet.

Winning rare praise from conservationists, George W. Bush declared the 140,000 square mile chain of islands in northwestern Hawaii the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in June 2006.

Garbage collection began on a haphazard basis in 1996.  It was not until 2002 that the federal government got involved and began dedicating significant resources to the collection of marine debris in the sanctuary.  The marine debris collected is usually recycled or burned for energy.

 

Some Activities on Land and Water That Impact the Health of Reefs

• Fossil fuel pollution   Burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide that remains in the environment for years.  The carbon dioxide tends to trap heat in the atmosphere, warming the planet.  Effect: Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the ocean lead to greater acidification, which slows coral growth and in extreme cases dissolves reefs. 

 

• Increased ocean temperatures   can also cause coral bleaching. Recreational use Beachgoers, divers and snorkelers can trample reefs, overwhelm marine sites and alter fish behavior.  Boat anchors can scrape the ocean bottom and damage and kill coral heads.  Effect:  Reduced coral coverage and less habitat for fish.Natural causes

 

• Natural forces such as hurricanes and heavy storms create powerful surf that damages reef, and flash flooding that deposits sediment in near shore waters.

 

• Soil Erosion  Tons of silt and pollutants settle on the reef from runoff caused over the years by grazing animals, fires, land clearing for agriculture and urbanization and coastal alterations.  Effect:  Sediment can cover the coral reefs, essentially smothering them or decreasing their ability to reproduce and fight off disease.

 

How can you make a difference?

1. Show your support for coral conservation by the actions you take.

2. Organize a reef clean up, coral monitoring activity or other reef activity.

3. Visit Project AWARE's web page for more info.   www.projectAWARE,org

 

Keeping our oceans and coral reefs clean and healthy allows our favorite dive sites to flourish, and ensures we can continue to dive the splendor that covers two thirds of our planet.

Have you Heard?
Mother Earth keeps saying "Help me!"

Go to the beach.  Bring a trash bag and pick up any litter you find.
Learn more www.earth911.org

 

Now, more than ever, Project Renewable Energy calls for eco-enlightened divers and non-divers to take action, and you can help.