#Status of Coral Reefs 2002 - International Coral Reef Action Network

Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2002
and sand mining, and direct modification of reefs during development. Offshore reefs have
come under strong fishing pressures, including blast and cyanide fishing, with the global
centre for the live reef fish trade for restaurants being in Hong Kong, China.
Terrestrial runoff of red clay soils is the major threat to reefs of the Ryukyu Islands, Japan.
Excessive sediment is generated from poor land development and agriculture, road
building and forestry. Planned construction of an airport on Ishigaki Island to attract
more tourists to the reefs, will release more sediment and damage the reefs. Public
awareness has been raised over reef damage from the many coastal developments
including other airports, small boat harbours, tourist resorts etc. Attempts have been
made to reduce sediment flow by returning rivers to their natural state and regulating
domestic land activities, but runoff still continues from smaller construction sites. In
2001, there was a mass mortality of Porites corals caused by heavy runoff of red clay soil
and fresh water from Todoroki River on Ishigaki Island. More than 75% of corals died in a
8ha area and the mortality was over 25% in a 27ha area near the river. Construction
activities and soil erosion still damage the coral reefs in Kushimoto, Okinawa and
Ogasawara. A large community of Catalaphyllia jardinei, which was one of only two in
the area, was destroyed by the construction of marine port in Kushimoto. In Sesoko
Island, 5,000m 2 of coral reef was destroyed during shoreline construction.
Already the reefs off Okinawa, Japan have shifted from coral reefs to turf algal reefs through
damage from sedimentation, crown-of- thorns starfish and overfishing of the predators of
sea urchins. Coral harvesting for the aquarium market is another threat to the coral reefs.
Illegal collection of live coral and live rock operates in Okinawa, and although the Coast
Guard patrols the area and arrests illegal fishers, the extent of the problem has not been
assessed. The Okinawa Government is attempting to revive the fishery by releasing
juveniles, establishing artificial reefs and implementing fisheries management.
Tourism is a major growing industry in the region, especially in the Ryukyu Islands,
Japan, with over 4 million tourists per year using the coral reefs for leisure. However, poor
planing for tourist resorts, such as reclaiming reef flats, blasting access for ports, and
building groynes to protect beaches have resulted in damage to the major attractions for
the tourists. Tourists continue to trample over live corals, use jet skies on reef flats, and
scuba divers damage and collect corals. Now underwater walking with helmets is creating
new threats. Some operators are aware of the problems, but there is insufficient education
of the tourists to ensure the industry is sustainable. In the Kerama Islands, local protected
areas have been established by diving operators, fisheries associations and local
municipality to protect corals from the pressure of sport divers.
There are similar sedimentation problems on coral reefs around Hainan and Hong Kong,
China, and around Taiwan.
Many types of pollution threaten the reefs of Taiwan, with the most critical and
widespread environmental issue being terrestrial run-off, which is affecting reefs of
southern Taiwan, the northeastern coast, eastern coast, Hsiao-Liuchiu and Penghu
Islands. The sediment is caused by poor land development, agricultural practices, road
building and deforestation. Many examples of sediment covering coral colonies and
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