All U.S. Coral Reefs Face Human Threats

By Cat Lazaroff

SILVER SPRING, Maryland, September 30, 2002 (ENS) - Every U.S. coral reef system is suffering from both human and natural disturbances, warns a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The first national assessment of the condition of U.S. coral reefs links development, pollution and destructive fishing practices with the decline of reefs in U.S. waters and around the globe.

The 265 page report, "The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States," identifies the pressures that pose increasing risks to the nation's estimated 7,607 square miles of coral reefs, particularly in hot spots located near population centers. The report also assesses the health of reef resources, ranks threats in 13 geographic areas, and details ongoing efforts to mitigate damage to coral reefs.

Coral reefs in Florida waters are among the most damaged, the report found. (Photo courtesy Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary)

Raising public awareness and stimulating official action on coral reefs is crucial, the report's authors say, because an estimated 27 percent of the world's shallow water coral reefs may already be beyond recovery. An estimated 66 percent are now considered to be severely degraded.

Thirty-eight coral reef experts and 79 expert contributors collaborated on the report, led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Ocean Service. They found that while some U.S. reefs are in good to excellent health, all are already at risk from human activities.

U.S. reefs share problems with reefs around the world, particularly the effects of growing coastal populations. More than 10.5 million people now live in U.S. coastal areas adjacent to shallow water coral reefs, and every year, some 45 million people visit these areas.

Natural environmental pressures such as temperature, sea level changes, diseases and storms have shaped coral reefs for thousands of years, but human induced pressures are now forcing rapid changes on reef ecosystems. Coastal pollution, coastal development and runoff, and destructive fishing practices are among the top ranked threats to reefs.

A Spanish hogfish, one of the species that relies on Florida's coral reefs. (Photo courtesy Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary)

Coral reefs - Earth's largest biological structures - are an essential source of food, jobs, chemicals, shoreline protection and pharmaceuticals for the United States. Tourism in U.S. coral reef areas generates more than $17 billion a year, while commercial fishing generates an additional $246.9 million.

In South Florida alone, where many reefs are damaged or dying, reefs now support 44,500 jobs, providing a total annual income of $1.2 billion. Live coral cover in the Florida Keys has declined by 37 percent over the past five years.

The NOAA report shows that reefs along Florida and the U.S. Caribbean are in the poorest condition of all U.S. corals, because of nearby dense populations and the effects of hurricanes, disease, overfishing and a proliferation of algae. Of 31 coral reef fishery stocks in federal waters, 23 are overfished in the U.S. Caribbean.

Sea urchins graze on algae growth on dead corals off the coast of Hawaii, with living corals visible at the bottom right. (Photo courtesy Dr. James P. McVey, NOAA Sea Grant Program)

In the past 20 years, white-band disease has killed almost all the elkhorn and staghorn corals off the coasts of St. Croix, Puerto Rico and southeast Florida.

The report also details coral reef conditions in the Flower Garden Banks of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, Nassau, the Hawaiian Archipelago, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana islands and the Pacific Freely Associated States, which include the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau.

Prepared under the guidance of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, the report is intended to establish a baseline that can be used for biennial reports on the health of U.S. coral reefs. The task force was established in 1998 to help lead U.S. efforts to address threats to coral reefs.

White band disease on staghorn coral. (Photo by Andy Bruckner, courtesy NOAA)

Among the initiatives spearheaded by the Task Force, and detailed in the new report, is an innovative mapping project used to explore coral reefs around Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The project used a new, 26 category classification system to examine the environmental health and biological diversity of the reefs.

"The new classification is a vital management tool that tells us where the reefs are, what lives on them, and what relationships may be to neighboring habitats and human activities," said NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher. "We now have a complete snapshot of the U.S. Caribbean region, a clear, consistent baseline for future mapping, and a solid model to implement good management in other regions."

The mapping process developed in the Caribbean is now being applied in Hawaii, and future projects will map reefs in Guam, American Samoa and other U.S. territories with coral reefs.

Black band disease on starlet coral. (Photo by Andy Bruckner, courtesy NOAA)

One of the highlights of the website is NOAA's report to Congress on "A National Coral Reef Strategy," outlining 13 major goals, including continuing mapping and monitoring, intended to safeguard reefs.

The strategy and the report on U.S. coral reef status will be referenced this week when the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force holds its annual meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

"The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States" is available online at: http://www.nccos.noaa.gov/documents/coral_notice.pdf

The "National Coral Reef Strategy" is available on the Coral Reef Information System website at: http://www.coris.noaa.gov/