Nothing new here, but thought I'd share it. It's pasted from an internet search, referenced at the end...
U.S. coral reefs endangered
The first-ever national assessment of the nation's coral reefs says 27 percent of the world's shallow water reefs may already be beyond recovery.
The 265-page State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States, by 38 coral reef experts and 79 expert contributors, was prepared under the auspices of the U.S.
Coral Reef Task Force.
It says 66 percent of coral reefs are now severely degraded.
"Every U.S. reef system is suffering from both human and natural disturbances," the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration said in announcing the report.
"Coastal pollution, coastal development and runoff, and destructive fishing practices are among the top-ranked threats. These are followed by ship groundings, diseases, changing climate, trade in coral and live reef species, alien species, marine debris, harmful tourist activity and tropical storms."
Hawaii residents know that coral reefs off the coast of Waikiki are threatened by beach sand that washes out from the hotel coast and lodges in the coral.
But generally the report found Hawaiian reefs in better shape than those in other U.S. waters. Hawaii's economic benefit from ecotourism has created a political coalition of tourism interests and environmental interests to protect the reefs here.
More than 10.5 million people now lives in U.S. coastal areas adjacent to shallow coral reefs.
The researchers mapped coral ecosystems with a novel 26-category classification system that creates a baseline for future reef studies. The mapping process developed in the U.S. Caribbean is currently being applied in Hawaii, and then Guam, American Samoa and other U.S. territories with coral reefs.
The report is the focus of a meeting of the task force meeting Wednesday and Thursday in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Attendees will be told that the situation is much worse over there than it is in Hawaii.
"Florida and the U.S. Caribbean were found to be in the poorest condition, mainly because of nearby dense populations and the effects of hurricanes, disease, overfishing and a proliferation of algae. Live coral cover in the Florida Keys has declined 37 percent over the past five years," NOAA said. "Of 31 coral reef fishery stocks in federal waters, 23 are overfished in the U.S. Caribbean. Coral disease is especially high in the Caribbean, where more than 90 percent of the once abundant longspine
sea urchins died in the early 1980s."
© 2002 American City Business Journals Inc.
