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

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Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2002 crushing the corals. FSM reefs have experienced some bleaching, but information is limited. Efforts to reduced deforestation on Pohnpei, Kosrae and Yap are being made to control erosion and sedimentation. Marshall Islands The reefs are generally in good condition with those around Majuro showing signs of stress. RMI biodiversity consists of about 860 species of reef fishes, 362 hard and soft corals, 40 sponges, 1,655 molluscs, 728 crustaceans and 128 species of echinoderms. There are also 5 species of turtles and 27 marine mammals around the Marshall Islands. The reefs in the former nuclear test sites show remarkable recovery, although the larger bomb craters may not fill in for years. Water quality has deteriorated due to coastal construction for ports, docks, airfields, causeways, and roads. Development projects often involve using fill material and expanding into adjacent reef areas, which all mobilise suspended sediments, increase turbidity, and can change the circulation patterns in lagoons. The average sea temperature around the Marshall Islands in 2002 was about 29°C, near the upper limit for coral survival. A further increase of 1°C could trigger massive coral bleaching and die-off. A 2000 report on climate change in the Marshall Islands projected that air temperatures will continue to rise on all atolls with the highest increases in the northern areas. Palau The coral diversity is among the highest in the world with 425 species of hard corals and 120 species of octocorals, which is approximately 25% higher than on Guam. Four species of sea turtles use Palauan reefs. The Rock Islands once had large numbers of hawksbill nesting sites, but egg poaching and the killing of turtles for bekko jewelry have drastically reduced nesting activity. The species and the nesting habitats are protected within the Rock Island Reserve. The egg-laying banded sea snake and the yellowbellied sea snake are found in Palau, and the endangered dugong has been reported. Coral cover on reefs in good condition, ranges from 50-70% with 45-95 species at a given site. For example, a comparison of the fringing reef at the southern tip of Malakal from 1976-1991 indicated no significant differences in coral cover and this is probably true for most areas. Before the 1998 bleaching event severely affected most reefs in Palau, the remote reefs were generally in good condition. Reefs closer to population centres or where there are developments show signs of degradation. There was massive coral bleaching in 1998 when 30% of the reefs were heavily impacted. There was high levels of mortality of adult Acropora corals (30-50%), and 75-85% mortality of soft corals. Many juvenile colonies, however, survived. On many lagoon patch reefs, only a few blue corals (Heliopora) and brain corals (Porites) remain alive. Similar mortality was observed again in 1999 with Acropora corals showing the highest mortality. Corals in estuaries close to shore survived better, particularly in Ngiwal where coral survivorship was highest closer to land. Mortality of Acropora was nearly 100% at all depths on offshore reefs, like Short Drop-Off. Coral mortality approached 90% at 30m, 222
Status of the Coral Reefs in Micronesia and American Samoa These summary data of coral cover on Palauan reefs by the Palau International Coral Reef Center clearly shows the impacts of the coral bleaching mortality in 1998 on those reefs marked with a *. Other reefs have very healthy coral cover. Location Average coral cover Coral Species per site Barrier reef lagoon slopes 60% 45 Northeast slopes * 10% 35 Protected bay south of Ngkesol* 25% 45 Western ocean-facing reef slopes 60-70% 35 Northwestern ocean-facing reefs * 10-20% 50 Kayangel Atoll 50-70% 126 Babeldaob lagoon patch reefs 50% 45-70 Ngermeduu Bay 50-70% 50-60 including Favia, Porites, Fungia and Acropora. Of 3,630 coral colonies from 52 genera surveyed in 1999 at several sites, 48% were living, 31% were dead and 21% suffered various degrees of mortality. The abundance of fish that are closely associated with corals (e.g. butterflyfish) decreased dramatically from 1992 levels. Non-Acropora coral cover ranged from 6-25% at 95 of 217 sites surveyed around Palau. Only 22 sites had coral cover ranging from 50-100%. For Acropora, 189 sites had coral cover ranging from 0-5%, with only 2 sites having Acropora cover above 50%. Patch reefs had the best Acropora cover and fringing reefs had the best non-Acropora cover. These results show that recovery is occurring, but at a slow rate. Between 1999 and early 2002, 11,991 COTS were removed from Palau reefs. The largest number collected was in 2001 with 9,862 taken from reefs that had been cleaned in previous years. This is evidence for a developing outbreak of COTS that could seriously damage the reefs, particularly as the COTS target the few Acropora corals that survived bleaching. STATUS OF CORAL REEF FISH AND FISHERIES AMERICAN SAMOA Fish and invertebrate populations are not recovering at the same rate as the corals on Tutuila. Night time spear fishermen began using SCUBA in 1995, greatly increasing their catches, particularly of parrotfish. This led to a territorial ban on SCUBA-assisted fishing in April 2001. Surgeonfish, groupers, snappers, and giant clams are overfished. Data are insufficient on commercial and recreational catches for effective management, but communities report declining fish and target invertebrate numbers. The illegal harvest of hawksbill turtles and destruction of nesting habitats threatens the species, which are approaching extinction in the Pacific. Green sea turtle populations have also declined and they may also be endangered. Conservation efforts are complicated by the complex migration patterns of turtles e.g. from American Samoa to Fiji and French Polynesia, such that their conserving will require international cooperation. CNMI There 1,019 fish species around the CNMI, but only the yellow-crowned butterflyfish (Chaetodon flavocoronatus) and 2 species of Guam reef damselfish (Pomachromis 223
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Status of Coral Reefs of the World:
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FOREWORD Our two governments have r
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CONTENTS Countries, States and Terr
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COUNTRIES, STATES AND TERRITORIES A
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Countries, States and Territories S
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INTRODUCTION We are pleased to endo
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Introduction Some of the larger fou
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Introduction Coral reefs are coming
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CLIVE WILKINSON A
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Executive Summary This report, howe
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Executive Summary GLOBAL AND REGION
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Executive Summary There is clear ev
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Executive Summary Key sites chosen
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Executive Summary • Europa and Sc
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Executive Summary CORAL REEF TARGET
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Executive Summary ICRI OPERATING UN
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Executive Summary COLLAPSE OF CORAL
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Executive Summary Prognosis for the
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Executive Summary concern is an out
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Executive Summary Southern Tropical
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Executive Summary Achievements in E
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7. STATUS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA CORAL R
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Status of Southeast Asia Coral Reef
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8. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN EAST AN
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Status of Coral Reefs in East and N
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9. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS OF AUSTRAL
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Status of Coral Reefs of Australasi
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Status of Coral Reefs in the US Car
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Status of Coral Reefs in the US Car
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15. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN THE NO
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Status of Coral Reefs in the Northe
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16. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS OF MESOAM
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Status of Coral Reefs of Mesoameric
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17. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN THE EA
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Status of Coral Reefs in the Easter
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18. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN SOUTHE
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Status of Coral Reefs in Southern T
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19. SPONSORING ORGANISATIONS, CORAL
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Sponsoring Organisations, Coral Ree
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#Status of Coral Reefs 2002 - International Coral Reef Action Network

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