The Caribbean Coral Reef, Caribbean Archipelago.

The sun
pierces the calm waves of the Caribbean ocean, and gives life to the slowly disappearing Caribbean Reefs…
You may have seen that recently coral reefs have been making the news, specifically
online, and specifically the Caribbean Reef.

The papers (and rather surprisingly the BBC News) have gone with the usual fear
mongering headlines, titles like “coral reefs gone in the next 20 years…” and “corals all
but gone!” and whilst there are some theatrical elements to the titles, and their
information might not be the most accurate; they seem to be a necessary evil these
days. After all who cares if the coral reefs are disappearing? All the while people’s lives
are not directly affected by the devastation of the coral reefs then their plight will go
unnoticed by all those bar the scientists and agencies doing the research.

That is a sad truth and the fact is the reports coming from research and scientists do not
make pleasant reading. Since the 1970’s (40 years) over 50% of the Caribbean Coral
Reef has vanished. That is a lot of coral reef. The issue is not just as simple as finding
out a singular problem and fixing it. There are several factors to look at and whilst a
solution could be found for one issue, will it make things, overall, worse than they were
before the intervention?

There are 2 serious, and immediate, threats to the Caribbean reef:

 Algae growth

Notice the lack of colour and coral? Well that’s because what the algae doesn’t kill it bleaches. Some algae is
good for the corals, but too much of a good thing…

Algae has always grown on reef systems, and as with most species of animals and
plants in an ecosystem, there is a place for it. However when coral is removed via
destructive events, like tropical storms (as mentioned on my other coral post), algae can
just swarm the rock and take over, forcing the coral out of its original home and
therefore reducing the size of the reef.

There are species that feed on this algae and these species act as grazers. However
these species, specifically the main grazer [Parrot Fish], are having their numbers
quelled via over-fishing. This exacerbates the algal growth and leads to greater areas of
reef succumbing to the algae…
 Invasive Species

“An invasive species is defined as an organism (plant, animal, fungus, or bacterium)

that is not native and has negative effects on our economy, our environment, or our
health. Not all introduced species are invasive.” – Environment Yukon.

Although the algae is not really an invasive species itself, there are other species that
trouble coral reefs across the world. The Caribbean is, unfortunately, not immune to the
threat of invasive species.

Whilst not all species are considered invasive, in fact some can be highly positive to an
environment, unfortunately for the Caribbean reef systems the Lion Fish is not a positive
influence, not even in the slightest!
The Lion Fish is a fearsome hunting fish, heavily defended with venomous spines
emanating from its main body (see picture below). Originally from the indo-pacific
oceans, lion fish were first sighted in Florida back in 1985. Since then they have grown
in numbers and by 2001 sightings were found all around Bermuda, the Carolinas and
Georgia. And over the last 10 years they have spread throughout the Caribbean and
have established themselves there…

The two species of lion fish that are causing the devastation are doing so extremely
easy because they have no natural predators in the Caribbean & Atlantic; they don’t
even have many natural predators in their own habitat! This is all due to their venomous
spines.

Here are some other reasons why the Lion Fish (particularly the two species: Pterois
volitans & Pterois miles) is such devastating force to the corals of the Atlantic [the
following information was taken from the World Resources Institute]:

● Voracious Hunters

Lion Fish are voracious hunters and are known to consume more than 50 other species
of fish in the region.

● Quick multiplication

Lion Fish females can lay up to 2 million eggs per year and therefore multiply extremely
quickly.
 ● Ecosystem versatility

Lion Fish can live in various coastal ecosystems, including coral reefs and mangroves
and can be found at depths from shallow waters very near the coast and as deep as
300m!

Whilst governments are working on action plans and trying to rid these delicate reefs
systems from the devastating invasive lion fish, it is not a task that can be completed
quickly. And therefore every year the invading species can take hold of more and more
of the threatened habitat.

So whilst the threat of destruction for the Caribbean Reef is serious, there is always
hope and all the governments involved are trying to quell the problems facing their most
prized natural-marine asset.