In addition to the overall field research program conducted on board
PCRF's research vessel, the crew has made
observations on the health and vitality of coral reefs as they travel worldwide.
This assessment is called Vitareef and was
developed by Dr. Phil Dustan at the College of Charleston.
These observations are listed below and we hope that it will be useful
to those engaged with the task to try and assess the health of coral reefs
on a planetary scale. If you wish to use this data, please acknowledge
the work of the crew of the research vessel. If you wish to have access
to further data, please contact us at alling@pcrf.org.
This reef was studied intensively by the crew of the RV Heraclitus in May 2000.
A report from this previous study can also be found on this website.
Water Temperature range: 26.7 ñ 28.8ƒC
Bleaching:
A bleaching event had begun on this site in January 2000.
When we last studied this reef, we observed up to 30% of corals bleached
in some areas ñ predominantly table acroporas but the bleaching was noticeable
to depths of 25 metres. The
bleaching is now a minor impact on the reef, but the skeletons remain of the
corals that bleached two years ago. Those
that lost their zooxanthellae then were unable to recover and are now overgrown
with both filamentous and macroalgae. So
thankfully the event that began so suddenly never became an epidemic and only
small scars remain on the overview of the reef.
Coral diseases: none observed
Visibility: very variable ñ from 10m upwards
Crown of Thorns: only 2 observed during the entire study
General topography and condition:
This reef spreads itself around the island called Sagharughombe Island.
We nicknamed it One Tree Island two years ago because there
was one large tree shooting up from this very small landmass (about 5 x 5 metres).
Sadly, the tree has since gone and all that remains is the small rocky
mount of the island itself. On
nearby Kennedy Island, the sands have shifted causing a total change in island
outline. This movement is also
visible underwater ñ our memories of the sand patches on the reef did not
match the present reality. There
are parts where you can see sand smothering branching corals, especially on the
upper slopes of the reef, just below the reef crest.
The reef runs in a
strip from north west to south east. There
is a 15 metre deep channel that partly separates it from the reef that surrounds
the marker for the north east side of the channel between Sagharughombe and
Kennedy Islands. But these two
reefs are almost merged into one and for the purposes of our study, we covered
both parts.
Other observations:
Fish ñ the fish life appears to be reasonably undisturbed
on this reef, although we rarely saw sharks compared to two years ago when black
tip reef sharks were a common sighting during the course of our study.
But on the smaller scale of reef fish, there appeared to be little or no
change in diversity and numbers. It
is possible that the sharks have been fished out ñ the shark fin industry is
part of the way of life here. But
changes in the ecosystem balance have not manifested yet.
Eagle rays were around for the first few days of the study, gathering in
small schools and potentially preparing to mate ñ their behaviour was very
frisky. Groupers appeared to be
collecting for spawning as well.
Corals ñ most corals are afflicted by some condition but
rarely does it become so dominant that it kills the colony.
There is plenty of filamentous algae and some macroalgae, very little
bleaching. The shifting sands are
causing a great deal of sedimentation but the currents appear to move the sands
quickly so little of the coral is permanently damaged.
Following the
western edge of the reef crest, it became very obvious that there is a
protective shroud of closely packed massive porites heads all along the upper
edge of the reef slope, just below the crest.
This seems to provide enough protection for more delicate and branching
colonies (about 50% of which is acropora) to grow safely on the reef flat.
Beneath the rim of massive porites, further down the slope, there is a
great diversity of hard coral genuses ñ Echiniopora, Pocillopora, Stylophora,
Seriatopora, Cyphastrea, Astreopora, Favites, Favia, Montastrea, Pachyseris,
Fungii, Diploastrea and many others.
There are many
elephants ears sponges growing amongst the hard corals ñ this is the most
dominant soft coral genus.
Invertebrates ñ there is a marked absence of sea urchins
on this reef (as observed two years ago). Sea
cucumbers are rather scarce too ñ several species of sea cucumber are highly
prized and a source of fast income for the local Gilbertese communities.
They appear to have cleared out a lot of species in the surrounding
reefs. There is a reasonable
diversity of invertebrates on this reef, especially sea stars.
We were entranced by several large octopi during our time
here.
Shoreline:
The shape of Kennedy Island (the closest beach) has changed
since two years ago. There appeared
to be an increasing amount of litter on the beach. Two of our crew spent
the night on Kennedy Island and unfortunately encountered rats, something we had
not experienced two years ago.
The island is used by locals for weekend day trips,
although during our visit this time there was very little traffic on the island
due to bad weather. However, one
Gilbertese fisherman was camping on the island under a plastic tarp, using this
as a temporary home during the day while fishing for lobsters at night.
In conclusion:
There appears to only a little change on the reef at
Sagharughombe Island ñ the two most noticeable factors being the cessation of
the bleaching event that began two and a half years ago, and the absence of
sharks from the reef.
Another major change in the area was the very few sightings
of dolphins. Two years ago, we were
treated almost daily to the passage of a large school of spinner dolphins.
This time, we saw them only a couple of times.
But we did have an encounter with six other cetaceans ñ three were
roughtooth dolphins and the other three may have been false killer whales.
They were in the area for two days, on the outer edge of the reef wall.
Logging is still an intensive industry in Kolombangarra, to
the north east. A very large
logging transport ship stopped in Gizo Harbour during our stay.
Last time we were here, we visited the reefs around Kolombangarra,
especially in Ringgi Cove and found them smothered from run off.
But there is clearly a threat of logging spreading through other islands
and causing wider damage.
This reef was studied intensively by the crew of the RV Heraclitus in August 2000.
Results of our findings in looking for changes are at the end of this page.
Water Temperature range 28.0 - 30.5ƒC
Bleaching: less than 1%
Coral diseases: none observed
Visibility: usually around 20m, always clearer in AM
Crown of Thorns: none (one seen on nearby reef patches)
General topography and condition:
This reef lies on the north side of Nusa Island, and to the north the open Pacific so
is prone to impact from high swells breaking on it.
When we arrived at the beginning of April, the reef was taking a bashing from swells
brought in by a typhoon in Japan a week beforehand, especially on its north east
tip. These died down a little,
thankfully, allowing us to carry out our study, but they never completely
disappeared making explorations in the shallows impossible.
This north east corner of the reef is one of the most topographically
interesting areas. It bears the
scars of repeated wave action, with trenches formed by the backwash.
Between the trenches there are small patches of hardy live corals growing
but only the encrusting acroporas or massive growthforms of other genuses are
able to grow beyond a 20cm diameter.
The reef is at first sight confusing. It
appears a little devastated with areas of rubble, sometimes overgrown by
calciferous macroalgae. But on
closer inspection combined with observations of the conditions under which it
survives, the reef is actually very healthy.
There are several areas that could be described as pristine, separated by
rubble valleys - the effects of wave weathering.
Towards the western corner of the reef, there are on average
throughout the year more gentle conditions allowing more elaborate coral
growthforms and larger colonies to survive.
Itís a common site all along the reef to find overturned table
acroporas, even massive corals such as Symphillia but these become substrate for
new colonies to settle.
The shallower areas that we could study were less diverse in coral genuses than the
deeper zones, again less corals are hardy enough to withstand the conditions
where the waves break and the backwash drags.
Other observations:
There are no major changes in coral conditions since our last study.
The most prevalent conditions were overgrowth by coralline algae especially Halimeda
and some Turbinaria and by the ascidian, Lissoclinum patella. There
are few large colonies of soft coral or sponge formations.
There are no obvious changes in the fish life on the reef in the last two years.
The visibility was reduced compared to the last study so it was not
possible to observe the passage of pelagic fish unless they came onto the reef
itself. The diversity is still high
and the numbers of small reef fish appear undisturbed.
The dominant families between 3 and 10 metres are still the surgeon,
parrot, damsel, butterfly and wrasse. An
encouraging number of groupers were seen (including one barramundi cod) and some
handsome emperors, and two sightings of black tip reef sharks.
One of the most exciting aspects of this reef is the invertebrate life.
There are many octopi, some cuttlefish, the delicious spiny lobster Panulirus
versicolor, and an array of beautiful crabs and shrimps cowering in the
corals. One very interesting
sighting was the psychedelic flatworm Pseudobiceros bedfordi.
Shoreline:
The beach to the south of the reef is reasonably steep and becomes very narrow (less
than 5m) at low tide.
Other diving action:
We encountered one liveaboard operation on the study site - the Febina.
They had been diving at Echuca Patch earlier that day and then dropped
some divers on the reef while we were laying our transect lines.
In conclusion:
The reef north of Nusa Island is in roughly the same condition as it was two years
ago. There have been no bleaching
events, no explosions of algae smothering and no destructive fishing practices
on the reef itself.
There is one major change in the Kavieng area which could ultimately have an impact on
the reef at Nusa and other reefs in the area. During our visit in April 2002, in the course of the month we
have been anchored here, we have watched the arrival and departure of ten
large-scale fishing boats - very long nets on board, massive scope for
refrigeration etc. It appears that
the government in Port Moresby has granted them the rights to fish these waters
but without necessarily consulting with the people of Kavieng.
The landowner system of New Ireland extends to the reef and miles beyond
it and we heard some strong objections to the activities of these foreign ships.
We also heard reports of them having $1m worth of tuna in their holds.
These boats are coming mainly from the Philippines and it appears from
other parts of South East Asia, where waters have been overfished already.
If they continue to plunder the reefs of New Ireland, and other reefs in
PNG, then the long-term effects could be disastrous.
One of the true delights of visiting Papua New Guinea is the underwater
wealth and riches that it offers the diver.
As scientists, we are enthralled on each dive here but if non-sustainable
fishing practices begin to engulf these waters, there will be changes both in
the open seas and on the reefs which provide the spawning grounds for much of
their catch.
We have also heard reports of the dumping of old stocks of cyanide, left over from
the gold mining industry in Lihir.
is used by fishermen of many countries in South East Asia and the Pacific but
the devastation caused by this poison on the reef itself is fatal.
Large catches can be obtained by squirting the cyanide underwater to stun
the fish but the overall effect is the death of large areas of coral reef,
without which the fish cannot survive in the long term.
The Philippines and Indonesia have already lost a great deal of their
reefs by fishermen using cyanide. If
cyanide is dumped in the ocean around the island of Lihir, there is a chance
that currents and tides may circulate it to reefs and have the same effect as if
they were directly targeted with the chemical.
There is a potential here for widespread disaster.
What is clear to PCRF is that there are changes happening fast in New Ireland and
Papua New Guinea in general. Traditional
systems of safe-guarding the land and sea are being disturbed by other
influences and actions, mainly driven by economic gain for the few and
frequently for those who do not even live here.
But these actions bear huge consequences for those peoples who have
relied on the reefs for their livelihood for centuries.
This is a critical time for ensuring the future health of the spectacular
coral reefs of Papua New Guinea. False
moves now will cause irreversible changes.
One has only to look north to the mistakes made by so many countries of
South East Asia to understand the basic concepts that reefs are not
indestructible, that the wealth of life in the oceans is so heavily dependent on
the existence of the reefs and that human impacts have far-reaching effects.
Other observations:
The Ton Sai Bay study site, off of Koh Phi Phi Don (koh is Thai for ëislandí),
is located within the southern
portion of the Had Nopparat Thara-Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park. Established in
the mid 1980s, this is Thailandís most accessible and, thus, most popular
marine park. The islandís
fantastic panorama consisting of steep limestone cliffs and white sand lined
coves, in addition to its newfound fame as being the site of the recent
Hollywood film ëThe Beachí, has lead to an influx of tourists and a
development boom. On the one hand,
the designation of the marine park has brought better management and heightened
environmental awareness including setups such as the installation of mooring
buoys on all of the popular dive sites for the upwards of 20 dive outfits on the
island, the growing number of visitors has contributed to
elevated levels of sedimentation resulting in decreased visibility.
Further, though the practice of dynamite fishing and destructive trawling
has dwindled, increased traffic over the reef and careless diver practices have
taken there toll.
The study site chosen within Ton Sai Bay is not one of the more popular dive sites
around the island, though it is frequented by snorkelers on a daily basis.
The reef extends out from Long Beach (the northern border of the site),
beginning at around 3 meters, and wraps around the rock outcrop to the southeast
(the southeastern border of the site). The drop off occurs at 11m, approximately
225m from the shallow start of the reef, at which depth the reef gives way to a
gradual sandy slope. Strong surge
is common within the site, particularly in the more shallow depths around the
rock outcrop. Substrate consists of coral on top of sand and rubble, save for
the area surrounding the outcrop which is primarily coral on top of rock. Cover
ranges from areas of 90% coral to patches of 80% sand and rubble.
Porites massive make up a large
percentage of the coral cover, however the reefís coral diversity is quite
high. In total, we identified various species. The genuses
most predominant are Porites, Pocillopora, Acropora, Leptoria,
Galaxea, Hydnophora, Goniastrea, Symphillia, Lobophillia, Montipora,
Goniopora, and Pavona, with more diversity and less coverage dominated by Porites
noted in the deeper zone.
An observation notable in comparison to previous studies conducted in
Malaysia and the Philippines is the lack of large fields of one species (not
including the massive Porites),
particularly those of Acropora.
The area has a good variety of fish species especially in the butterflyfish and
wrasse families. Crescent wrasse are particularly plentiful as are spinecheeks
and algae eating damselfish. The schools of fusiliers have relatively few
members probably due to the apparent fishing in the area. Large schools of
parrot fish and big individuals are obviously leaving their marks on the coral,
as skeletal scars are evident. Generally, the groupers are small in size and the
needlefish large. Snorkeling tourists likely feed the Indo-pacific sergeant fish
and scribbled rabbit fish, explaining their lack of timidity and interest in
humans near the surface.
The chosen area displays a great abundance of invertebrate life,the most notable of
which are the seaurchins. It is not unusual to count up to 50 of the black spiny
creatutres around one boulder of corals, snorkelers and divers have to be
careful not to brush up against them.
In the shallower reef area of 10-15
feet there were also quite a few giant clams in their early development. Other
invertebrates sighted included seacucumbers, nudibranchs and crinoids.
Other observations:
Rengis is the house reef to the Berjaya Resort and is visited by many
divers and snorkellors every day. There is a policy of compulsory lifejacket
wearing to stop snorkellors trying to dive down and touch things. There is a
marine park nearby that advises people not to take things, touch things or fish,
amongst other things.
The reef reaches a maxium depth of 30ft and varies in landscape largely.
The north and east side consist mostly of a boulder substrate with encrusting,
massive and table corals not exceeding 1m whereas the south and east side have
large fields of Acropora spp, Porites massive, fingers, Montipora, Synarea and
in smaller quantities Merulina spp, Hydnophora spp. and Pavona spp. The coverage
of coral was also impressive, apart from the south side where there is a lot of
sandy rubble and one 12m patch on the NE of dead algae covered rubble. There are
3 massive Porites boulders in the sandy area to the south. There is a fairly
strong consisitent NNE to SSW current bringing sediment with it due to the SW
monsoonal currents bringing water from the mainland. The corals closer to the
sandy bottom have more signs of damage by excess sedimentation.
There are many fish including highfin rudderfish, the whitecheek monocle
bream, Some large emperors and groupers as well as schools of blackspot and
five-lined snappers.There are also many Jacks, clouds of chromis and damsels and
mullet fish dive bombing the sand almost like vacuum cleaners. There is a school
of extremely friendly batfish amd a large tuskfish that is always in the area.
The fish do seem to have strange behaviour patterns that we havenít seen
before prehaps because these areas are so regularly dived that they are no
longer restricted by human presence and are possibly fed. There are many crown
of thorns on bleached corals, mainly Acropra spp. We also believe that the
bleaching where there are no crown of thorns could be from the 1998 bleaching
event as a lot of the Acropora has a consistent line where the bleaching stops
and new coral grows above it.
There is a huge number and variety of sea urchins scattered throughout
the reef site mainly in the sandy patches. The southern side of the island is
home to at least three beautiful black tipped reef sharks and turtles also make
their leisurely appearance in this area providing
yet another element to keep us transfixed and enthralled by this small but
vibrant island reef. We spoke to a local dive operator who told us that this
reef has rejuevenated in just two years! This adds a positive note to the ability
of coral reefs to come back from destructive and over fishing methods.
This area has clearly been damaged in the recent past but there are areas of abundant
coral and fish life. The visibility is variable and very murky in places. The
substrate consists of the square edged boulders so distinctive of this area.
There is an area of dead corals covered in algae but another that is full of
beautiful healthy corals, mainly Acropora spp., Diploastrea spp., Montipora spp.,
and Porites spp., some of which attain a size of up to 1m. There is also a field
of Fungia spp and plenty of soft corals.
No big schools of fish were seen but there are many groupers, fusiliers, snappers,
sweetlips, wrasses (including the slingjaw wrasse), many species of cardinalfish,
including juveniles in plenty, a scorpionfish, an Emperor Angelfish, a lone
barracuda, large moray eel, porcupine and puffer fish and 2 baby nurse sharks.
There is an abandoned net trap made with net and bamboo, now a hide out
for groupers.
This is a strange and extremely variable reef. It is mainly very shallow with some
current and a bizarre landscape of rubble intermixed with angular boulder type
rocks. The area that has a lot of rubble caused by bombing in the recent past
does have many new small corals growing but it is sad to see. The visibility was
murky. Another area is full of healthy large corals such as Porites spp.,
Montipora spp., and Acropora spp., very monospecific. In the bay area there is a
large variety of corals, some large Acropora spp. table corals, Physogyra spp.,
Turbinaria spp., and many more hidden on the sheltered wall.
We saw 2 blue spotted rays in very shallow water.
Site name: Tokong Laut
Reef type: Sea Mount
Co-ordinates: Just above Pulau Susu Dara Kecil
This is a small rocky outcrop about 5m across that slopes straight down to a sandy
bottom at 25m. Visibility becomes worse with depth; at the sandy bottom it is
only 1-2m. There is current everywhere seemingly in all directions due to the
offshore location of this reef, strong in places and varying throughout the day.
It was the only dive site in the area that was being visited by the local dive
companies and on one morning there were 10 different dive boats and at least 100
divers but in the afternoon no-one. There is reason for this though - it is an
incredible site teeming with every kind of fish, large and small, soft and hard
corals in abundance and a beautiful shallow 10m area with excellent visibilty.
Up to 9 baby nurse sharks were seen in one dive at
18m depth, curled up in holes or under ledges, as well as one baby leopard
shark. A whale shark was spotted on one dive. At the deeper area, there was a
school of yellowfin barracudas following us as we circled the reef, many puffer
and porcupine fish, and schools of jacks chasing the small silver fish darting
around creating different shapes in the water column. The whole scene can only
be described as frantic. The water was packed with life. There were also
damsels, chromis, fusiliers, a school of friendly batfish, stonefish, many
juveniles, blue ring angelfish, many species of grouper (a lot of the blue-lined
grouper), vast amounts of mazed rabbitfish, parrotfish, a couple of scorpionfish,
a turtle, blue spotted ribbon-tail rays and on the small scale, cleaner shrimps
and red and white banded mantis shrimps. It was impressive to see schools of
both adult and juvenile fish.
The corals that we did see whilst not being distracted by the intensity of fish life
were mainly soft ëbroccolií corals which gave the substrate a purple
appearance, as well as brain corals such as Platygyra spp., and large Porites
spp., and Acropora spp., and many anemones. Approximately 10 crown of thorns
were seen here. A really beautiful exciting site.
Other observations:
There is a rock just off the tip of Penang. The current is very varied and can be
strong around the rock The reef is very different in the offshore and sheltered
areas. It is very monospecific in terms of coral diversity but there is a
beautiful coral garden on the north sheltered side of this tip, mainly Acropora
spp., Echinopora Horrida, Montipora spp. There are caves and a shallow swim
through on the north tip amongst shallow coral bommies and white sandy patches.
A few bumpheads hang around here and on the tip is a variety of all sorts of
fish - school of barracudas sitting in the current, jacks, a lot of little
minnows and damsels and some sweetlips. Moray eels, triggerfish, pufferfish and
box fish are also present.
Site name: Korringo Besar
Reef Type: Fringing
GPS Co-ordinates: N 05ƒ45.00í, E 103ƒ04.00í
Bleaching: none seen
Coral diseases: none
Visibility: good
Crown of Thorns: none seen
Other observations:
The east side of this island is dominated by different Acropora species, a lot of
algae and bad visibility but many giant clams. However, the outcrop on the south
side near the bouy is beautiful ñ
not so much in terms of corals, as it is a huge boulder landscape, but more in
terms of being host to many species of fish. There is a school of 5 bumphead
parrotfish plus a family of 3, not at all shy of divers. There are many wrasse,
snappers, sweetlips, batfish, a school of snub-nosed dart-fish, reef shark,
sweetlips, sweepers, batfish, cleaner wrasses, puffer and porcupine fish,
lionfish, groupers, triggerfish, barracuda and 4 turtles seen. There are some
very curious friendly fish, which could be an indication of people feeding them.
There is a great swim through with an abundance of tiny sweepers blocking the
path. Visibility is somehow much better this side of the island. The reef
extends further to the south - a few large coral patches separated by sandy
areas. A fish trap was seen with one lonely inhabitant that managed to escape as
we watched.
Site name: Lima Island
Reef Type: Fringing
GPS Co-ordinates: N 05ƒ46.50, E 103ƒ04.00í
Bleaching: none seen
Coral diseases: none
Visibility:good
Crown of Thorns: 2 seen
Other observations:
This has a boulder landscape with many hard and soft corals. The SW side is a very
beautiful shallow coral garden, many table Acropora spp, cabbage corals and blue
anemones, whereas the NW side is a mix of healthy corals and dead rubble. The
whole reef is crowded with fish: parrotfish, cleaner wrasses, pufferfish,
porcupine fish, triggerfish, a school of mackerel, a large moray and small
school of barracuda, stingrays, a large black tip shark and a turtle. A small
current was felt on the surface but none deeper.
Site name: Lima Mount, N of Lima Island
Reef Type: Sea Mount
Bleaching: none seen
Coral diseases: none
Visibility: average to bad
Crown of Thorns: none seen
Other observations:
This mount is found at 13-40 m. The current was too strong a couple of times to dive
here. The substrate is angular rocks and boulders on a sandy bottom at
40m. There are many soft ìbroccoliî corals but the most incredible
thing to see here is the fish life - some spectacular individuals. There is a
giant grouper/jew-fish 1.8m long and another grouper at 1.2m long. A 2.5m white
tip shark, a 1.5m long barracuda, a hawksbill turtle and some pufferfish. There
are many fries chased by jacks.
Other observations
Anchored off shore with a magnificent view of this beautiful remote island located 95
miles north of Pulau Tioman.
The first dive in this area was to the south west corner, supposedly a highway for
large fish species. We descended in strong surface current and undertook a mini
marathon battling against the current. There was a rush of jellyfish being
carried on the current, an array of colors and shapes. It was about 20 minutes
before we found ëreefí, instantly greeted by an interesting ray partly
hidden in the sand. Stories of big fish and whaleshark sightings here but no
luck for us. Some fusiliers, a large triggerfish, lots of whiptails and
spinecheeks, a maori wrasse, and speckled juvenile grouper, together with a
number of huge starfish.
Site name: Bay at Tenggol
Reef type: Fringing reef
Bleaching (% affected): 20%
Within the bay the hard coral varies from rubble to healthy and there is a large amount
of new growth throughout the site. On the day we dove there was an explosion of
thimble jelly fish which formed massive clouds floating just below the surface.
There was a lot of Acropora spp. together with Fungia and Diploastrea. As we
moved south found many eagle and flat nosed rays on the sandy bottom, tunas,
mackerel and a huge moray eel approximately two meters long.
The north west tip of Tenggol had a huge variety of hard coral species on rocky
substrate close to the cliffs. Further from the cliffs on the sandy bottom there
was mainly Acropora spp. We concentrated close to the cliffs were there were
soft corals and anemones giving color and vitality to this underwater landscape.
This was a popular area for turtles, and we saw two or three on each dive. Huge
bumphead parrot fish feeding on hard corals and more crown of thorns than I have
seen anywhere but what was more impressive was their size.
Site name: Pinnacle north of Pulau Tenggol
Reef type: Sea mount
Descended on the south side with the current whipping around the west side - we could
literally see the fish fighting in the current! Spectacular colors everywhere
and interesting rock formations made exploring this area very interesting. A
huge bumphead parrot fish, moorish idols, six-banded angel fish, batfish,
grouper, file fish, banner fish, puffer fish and some less common species such
as orangespine unicorn fish, pinktail triggerfish, almost every species of
butterfly fish, at least 15 species compared to normally seeing 5 at one site,
this is a good indicator of diversity. Corals included - Diploastrea, Leptoria,
Pocillopora (many species), Tubipora, Galaxea, Acropora, Symphyllia, Fungia,
Gonipora, Porites, Tubastrea. Polyps are extended on many corals and the water
is filled with tiny algae passing quickly in the current. Invertebrates -
Christmas tree worms, boring clams, giant clams, sea cucumbers. Sponges of every
hue and color, encrusting, lumpy and all variety of shapes. Many old fishing
nets tangled around the rocks, now part of the reef structure and an abandoned
anchor. This site has just about everything to offer - wonderful!
Site name: Fish bowl, Nyireh island, North Tenggol
Reef type: Fringing reef
Bleaching (% affected): 5%
West of Pinnacle rock is Nyireh island. Sheltered on the east side is a spectacular
bay with the biggest individual colony of soft coral at least 1.5m x 1.5m. Huge
amounts of soft coral covering this bouldery bottom. Many hard coral species -
Gonipora, Diploastrea, Echinopora, pocillopora, Galazea, Favia, Favities,
Montipora and Leptoria. One massive bumphead parrotfish, lots of beautiful
grouper - blue spot and round tail, moorish idols and batfish. Extremely pretty
area, much more relaxed and easy going with little current to deal with. This is
a good second dive to follow the pinnacle.
Other observations:
Moved from Tioman island to Tulai and anchored in a beautiful bay on the west side
with easy access to Chebeh and Tiger reef. The north side of Chebeh is an
amazing dive site. The substrate consists mainly of large boulders and sandy
bottom, which provides an interesting structure for hard and soft corals, algae,
and a huge variety of fish species. The current provides a continuous supply of
nutrients to support fantastic sea fans and an enormous display of soft corals
and anemones. In the boulder crevices there were turtles and sting rays, mainly
the spotted eagle ray. There were many large fish including groupers, bumphead
parrot fish, jacks, barracuda, as well as schools of sweetlips, puffer fish and
needle fish. There was a larger area to explore at Chebeh with caves and boulder
formations. The open sea to the north side created an interesting current that
was moving east at the surface but then west on the reef. These factors may have
made it more difficult to fish the area resulting in the presence and abundance
of fish species. The visibility was also better but this may have been due to
the time of day at which we dived.
Site name: Tiger rock, NW Tulai
Reef type: Sea mount
Bleaching (% affected): 5%
Crown of thorns: none
Other observations:
Another amazing dive site with current patterns that seemed to be from every direction!
The substrate was also boulders with sandy bottom; however, as the name
suggests, there is one enormous rock hosting a vast array of soft corals and sea
fans. The most striking element of this dive was definitely the underwater
colors of the sea fans and soft corals. On the first dive at Tiger rock there
was a mass covering of Tubastrea spp. The interesting factor on this day
compared to subsequent dives was that the Tubastrea were feeding, polyps
extended, which usually occurs at night. The fish species here included yellow
tailed barracuda, scorpion fish, batfish,
Grouper, and a lot of parrot fish. Many many fish here but fewer large fish
perhaps due to this being a more accessible fishing ground. There were many
smaller fish in large numbers.
Site name: Bahara Rock
Reef type: Sea mount
GPS co-ordinates: N02ƒ 40.00', E 104ƒ 03.70'
Bleaching (% affected): 15%
Crown of thorns: Average of 20
Other observations:
This dive offered an expanse of reef to be explored. The topography was relatively
flat, scattered throughout by large Porites boulders. The fish life here was
extensive, with many schools of small fish in huge clouds filling the water. It
seemed like a feeding station for larger fish and some fish behaviors suggested
that it could be the breeding season. Trigger fish on the attack as they guarded
their eggs. There were turtles and spotted eagle rays seen on almost every dive
here. The other memorable element of this site was the huge fields of anemones
stretching across the reef floor.
Site name: Magician rock
Reef type: Sea mount
GPS co-ordinates: N 02ƒ 55.09', E 104ƒ 09.02'
Water temperature: 27.9ƒC
Crown of thorns: none
Other observations:
Beautiful dive site with large rocky formations and sandy bottom. Current patterns evident
as well as definite thermocline causing visibility to change suddenly. Hard and
soft corals cling to the huge boulders providing painted patterns and
interesting formations. Many fishing nets wrapped and entangled on the boulders,
indicating this site as a popular fishing area. Huge Napoleon wrasse, rainbow
runners, batfish and our friend the trigger fish.
Other observations:
A Marine Park area with fish galore, very friendly, used to children feeding them
and snorkellers and divers being close by. This gives a great opportunity to
study them up close and identify finer details of fish species, but it is a
totally different behavior from what we are used to experiencing. It seems to us
that there is a link between ship wrecks and batfish populations because we have
seen an abundance both here in Malaysia and also the Philippines.
Site name: Jahara - East side Tioman
GPS co-ordinates: N 02ƒ 47.14.00', E 104ƒ 12.52'
Observations:
Descended
into murky water close to the boulder shoreline - sediment everywhere, a beige
desert, the occasional fish. Headed away from shore, not deeper than 20 meters.
Sanded landscape that at first looked deserted but on closer inspection there
were nudibranchs everywhere, a scorpionfish totally camouflaged bar his tail and
pectoral fins. Discovered an interesting fish trap set beside a collection of
large boulders that had gathered some coral and sponge life. The trap contained
large groupers, an enormous snapper and some smaller black-spot snappers. What
started as a dive that did not seem so interesting turned out to be incredible
in many ways.
Site name: Rengis Island
Reef type: Fringing reef GPS co-ordinates: N 02ƒ48.50 E 104ƒ
08.09
Date: May 2001
Bleaching (%affected): 5%
Water temperature: Average
29.5ƒC Visibility: Average 12m
Crown of thorns: Average
5 per dive
Other
observations:
Rengis
is the house reef to the Berjaya Resort and is visited by many divers and
snorkellers every day. There is a policy of compulsory lifejacket wearing to
stop snorkellers trying to dive down and touch things. There is a marine park
nearby that advises people not to take things, touch things or fish, amongst
other things.
The
reef reaches a maxium depth of 10m and varies in landscape largely. The north
and east side consist mostly of a boulder substrate with encrusting, massive and
table corals not exceeding 1m whereas the south and east side have large fields
of Acropora spp, Porites massive, fingers, Montipora, Synarea and in smaller
quantities Merulina spp, Hydnophora spp. and Pavona spp. The coverage of coral
was also impressive, apart from the south side where there is a lot of sandy
rubble and one 12m patch on the NE of dead algae covered rubble. There are 3
massive Porites boulders in the sandy area to the south. There is a fairly
strong consistent NNE to SSW current bringing sediment with it due to the SW
monsoonal currents bringing water from the mainland. The corals closer to the
sandy bottom have more signs of damage by excess sedimentation.
There
are many fish including highfin rudderfish, the whitecheek monocle bream, Some
large emperors and groupers as well as schools of blackspot and five-lined
snappers.There are also many Jacks, clouds of chromis and damsels and mullet
fish dive bombing the sand almost like vacuum cleaners. The fish do seem to have
strange behavior patterns that we havenít seen before, perhaps because these
areas are so regularly dived that they are no longer restricted by human
presence and are possibly fed. There are many crown of thorns on bleached
corals, mainly Acropra spp. We also believe that the bleaching where there are
no crown of thorns could be from the 1998 bleaching event as a lot of the
Acropora has a consistent line where the bleaching stops and new coral grows
above it.
There
is a huge number and variety of sea urchins scattered throughout the reef site
mainly in the sandy patches. The southern side of the island is home to at least
three beautiful black tipped reef sharks and turtles also make their leisurely
appearance in this area, providing yet another element to keep us transfixed and
enthralled by this small but vibrant island reef. We spoke to a local dive
operator who told us that this reef has rejuevenated in just two years! This
adds a positive note to the ability of coral reefs to come back from destructive
and over fishing methods.
Site
name: Tangat Wreck
Date: 15th
January 2001
Water Temperature: 28.3ƒC
Visibility: 6-8m
The
wrecks in this bay were sunk on the 24th September 1944 by US aircraft and were
originally thought to be islands until they were seen moving around!
Observations:A Japanese freighter, 120m long and 5000 gross tonnes, sits upright
listing 10ƒ-15ƒ to port. The main deck sits at 18-24m but there is easy access
to the cargo holds. There are many lionfish, a bumphead parrotfish, a large
pufferfish with remora attached, a large filefish, snappers and many more. There
are many non-branching beautiful corals with undisturbed growth and encrusting
sponges on the hull.
Site
name: Kogyo Maru Wreck, SE corner LusongIsland
Date: 16th January 2001
Visibility: 6m
Observations:
Also
a Japanese freighter, 158m long and 6352 gross tonnes. The wreck sits in 40m
while the deck is at z27-30m. There are at least 16 large batfish that are very
friendly as well as abundant lionfish. A huge grouper lurks in the shadows.
There is a major section of the ship crushed. Large rectangular frames are
spaced evenly along the deck.
Site
name: Olympia Maru, N side Lusong Island
Date: 16th January 2001
Visibility: 6-8m
Observations:
Another Japanese Freighter, 440m long and 5617 gross tonnes. This one lies on
its side, the bottom is around 24-27m and you can enter the deck through the
side. There are at least 4 of the large rectangular frames spaced along the
deck. Starboard side hull is being taken over by sand but the exposed portside
hull is home to many corals, predominantly cabbage-likeTubipora spp. There are
encrusting healthy corals that have been growing undisturbed since 1944, a
refeshing sight. Large abundant lionfish guard over the soft corals. There are
many large jellyfish in the water around these wrecks.
Reef Type:Fringing
GPS Coordinates:09ƒ54.025 í N 118ƒ
48.193í E
Dates of Study: November 24-December 12, 2000
Coral Coverage: Estimated
80% up to 5m, 30-50 % deeper
Bleaching (% affected):Estimated
5%
Temperature Range: 25.5-31ƒ C
Visibility: 5-8m
Crown of Thorns: 3 seen in area
Starfish
Island is located in Honda Bay, about 20 miles from the city of Puerto Princesa.
The reef surrounding Starfish Island was chosen as a study site, a surprisingly
healthy area compared to the rest of the bay.
Ecotourism:
A
large five star resort called Dos Palmas that supports ecotourism is located
about 5 miles from this site. At the resort, a conservation office is operated
by the hotelís manager.They are
undergoing their own study of big fish in the area such as dolphins and whale
sharks.
Starfish
Islandís small resort has 5 bungalows, sheltered picnic tables, a snack area,
and a sandy beach.Most visitors
come from the mainland for the day via motorized bancar.Wind power is their energy source and they have a sewage
waste recycling system in place.Their
beach seems to be clean and well looked after. At the canteen, cans and bottles
were separated to be recycled.
Unlike
many of the other sites visited in the Philippines, this is not a sanctuary.We did not have to pay a fee to dive here, nor were we watched closely by
locals. There seem to be no restrictions on fishing.A small holed net is located off Starfish Island close to our study site.
Coral:
In
the shallows there are a number of different species of coral, although Porites
massive heads dominate the area. On the reef slope and slightly deeper there
are large monospecific patches, notably Echinopora
horrida, porites fingers and Oxypora
spp. In addition we saw a lot of Fungia
spp., Herpolitha spp., Seriatopora Hystrix, Acropora spp., Pavona spp, Galaxea
spp., Millepora spp, and Pachyseris spp.
Although
coverage was thick, much of the coral in this area seemed to be suffering.
Bombing and cyanide fishing has affected this area - the reef has many patches
of coral rubble and algae suggesting past attacks but it was not widespread on
the reef. The water is filled with sediment although this does not seem to rest
on the corals and affect their health. The high sediment levels are possibly due
to the construction of a road on the mainland and rain washing the dirt into the
bay. There are also a number of rivers that flow into the bay.There is a very high level of algae, both filamentous and macroalgae that
affects most if not all of the corals seen. Most porites fingers for example
only had their tips free of filamentous algae. The overall color of the bayís
water bears a green hue, suggesting a high volume of algae as well as low
salinity.The nearby rivers
providing fresh water aid the growth of algae.Due to sediment run-off and algae growth, visibility is quite poor.The best visibility we had was 8m.
Fish:
There
seemed to be a large variety of fish species, however not an abundance of those
species. An abundance of juveniles were noted. Fish also seemed to be uncommonly
curious and friendly. Very few pelagics were seen in this area, possibly a
result of over fishing. Some rare species were spotted like the Mandarin fish
and the Reef Cuttlefish. There was an abundance of damsels, wrasses, cardinal
fish, butterflyfish and fusiliers.
Site
Name:Panglima Reef, East Palawan
Reef
Type:Shoal
GPS Coordinates:N 09ƒ56.00 E
119ƒ04.00
Dates of Study: 7 January 2001
Visibility: 40ft
Crown of Thorns: None seen
Other
observations:
Largely
dead reef and rubble, very few live hard corals although some soft corals.
Approximately 15% live coverage. Filamentous algae abundant. However some
re-growth present. Also many fish. lionfish, a few rainbow runners and one
turtle spotted.
Site
Name:Langoy Island, off Dumaran Island
Reef
Type:Fringing
GPS Coordinates:N 10ƒ30.00 E
120ƒ00.00
Dates of Study: 8 January 2001
Water Temperature: 27.3ƒC
Visibility: 9m
Crown of Thorns: none seen
Other
observations:
We
surveyed the south side of the island. The underwater landscape is one of huge
angular boulders and sloping reef, which gives way abruptly to a sandy bottom at
approximately 20m. Visibility is variable due to sediment particles floating in
the water. There is a high proportion of dead hard corals, but also abundant
soft corals. Many fish, including puffer fish, moorish idols, surgeon fish,
lionfish, a frogfish. Also a turtle and nudibranchs were spotted. Incredible
setting with cave hideaways and walls of rock rising straight out of the water.
Site name:Cotad Island, off Dumaran Island
Reef
Type:Fringing
GPS Coordinates:N 10ƒ32.00 E
120ƒ01.00 Dates of Study: 9-10th January 2001
Water Temperature: 27.4ƒC
Visibility: 10m
Crown of Thorns: none seen
Other
observations:
Flat
reef top with a shallow slope down to a sandy bottom at 15m. Limestone boulders
create an angular substrate for corals to grown on. Murky visibility, but a huge
diversity of healthy corals including Mycedium spp., Diploastrea spp., Porites
spp., Galaxea spp., Gardinoseris spp., Pachyseris spp., Merulina spp. Many of
these species are found encrusting on the slope but the reef top is home to a
lot of smaller table Acropora spp. Many beautiful soft corals.
There
are abundant fish, including lionfish, large porcupine fish, puffer fish,
squirrel fish and a barramundi cod. A huge giant clam and scattered nudibranchs
were seen. On the north tip of the island a crocodile fish, an eagle ray and a
turtle were seen, said by one diver to be one of the best spots in the
Philipinnes so far!
Site
name:South tip Coron
Island - Coral Garden
Reef
Type:Fringing
GPS Coordinates: N 11ƒ49.00 E
120ƒ16.00
Dates of Study: 14th January 2001
Water Temperature: 28ƒC
Visibility: 12m
Crown of Thorns: none seen
Other
observations:
The
incredible vertical walls of limestone that make up the cliffs of this island
plunge straight down into very calm sheltered water. There is a large area of
flat reef top that slopes steeply to a point at 90ft where there is a sandy
bottom with scattered bommies that continues to slope gently downwards. The edge
of the cliff in the shallows has been smoothed into a large curve from continued
water action creating an overhang where, in the shadows, minnows hide. There is
some seagrass.
There
are many species of corals. (species list available upon request) There are also
large barrel sponges, sea fans and many soft corals. There is rubble present
indicating the slope has been blasted in the past, but the signs of re-growth of
hard corals are reassuring. Covering everything is a purple disc 1-1.5cm in
size, possibly a form of algae. There is a large proportion of white algae and
sponges, some bleaching present, and edge damage on the corals. There are
surprisingly few fish present but a few sea cucumbers, oysters and a lobster
were seen.
Reef Type: Atoll GPS CoordinatesN08ƒ
50.75 E119ƒ 55.08í
Dates of Stay: 19-26th Dec 2000
Bleaching: (% affected):Estimated
5%. Bleaching event 1998 resulted in widespread
coral death.
Visibility: Estimated 25m
Crown of Thorns: None sighted
Tubbataha
Reef is a world heritage site in the middle of the Sulu Sea covering an area of
10 miles. The area has been protected by World Wildlife Fund, Philippines since
1997. There is a ranger station on one of the sandbars, constantly manned by at
least 6 staff members. This group consists of WWF representatives, Kabang
Kalikasan ng Pilipinas (KKP), a local governmental organization, and the navy
that patrols the area to prevent illegal fishing. There is a no take policy for
the entire reef site, divers are advised on reef care techniques, and there is
no anchoring allowed within the park. Mooring sites are provided. The dive
season begins in late April until September as weather conditions restrict
access. Permits have to be obtained before you can enter the park.
The
reef is being monitored to assess the ecological status of Tubbataha, this
includes coral transects, fish diversity and indicator species, large marine
life, substrate cover, invertebrates and seagrasses.
Observations
Immediately
we recognized that this was a very unique reef due to its location and strong
protection policy. The most obvious indicator of this is the incredible number
of fish species sighted during our seven day stay. There are a huge number of
black and white tip sharks, nurse sharks, turtles. Three manta rays were seen.
There is a large number of pelagics including barracudas, jacks and groupers and
many many species of reef fish. We also noted a large number of giant clams, sea
fans and huge barrel sponges.
Coral
species are diverse and healthy on the wall but there are still many areas
recovering from the bleaching event of 1998. On the reef flat at approximately
15ft there are large areas of rubble from previous bombing which came to end in
1995 but there were also areas of very healthy corals. There is obvious new
coral growth, mainly Acropora spp., and Stylophora spp., throughout the site. We
observed at least 28 coral genus the most abundant being Diploastrea spp.,
The
reef was integrated with large sandy patches, this resulted in sediment resting
on the corals in the slope areas. This did not seem to affect the health of the
corals. There was a large amount of red and green filamentous algae and sponge
covering the rubble areas.
Site
name: Cervera Shoal
Reef Type:Shoal
GPS Coordinates:123ƒ 50.60íE 09ƒ
29.50íN Dates of Study: November 2nd, 2000
Bleaching (% affected): No sightings.
Coral diseases: None
Visibility: 20-25 meters
Crown of Thorns: In this area we estimated 10
within a 15 by 2 meter transect
Other
observations:
Cervera
Shoal lies 9.5 miles east of Balicasag Island. It is also known as Snake Island
because there are frequent sightings of black and white banded sea snakes. One
group came upon seven snakes in a single dive. The hard coral coverage of this
area was minimal, estimated at less than 1%. The area consisted mainly of coral
rubble and scattered bommies. The bommies were made up largely of soft corals,
anemones, sea fans, sponges and tunicates. This, combined with the presence of
coral rubble, indicates that the area has been bombed. One dive group heard a
bomb explosion. Another indicator that the reef was heavily fished was the
presence of fishing nets, ropes, cables and bamboo traps littered on the sea
floor.
Invertebrates:
There was an abundance of sea urchins and feather stars existing in tight
clusters.
There
were some areas covered in a mat of macroalgae. (Sea Grapes)
Fish:
Few
pelagics were sighted but a variety of reef fish surrounded the bommies, mainly
anthias, goat fish, angelfish, damsel fish, lizard fish, blackspotted puffer,
blennies, lion fish, stonefish, anemones, squirrel fish and golden morays. There
were no coral eating fish such as parrot fish, wrasse and trigger fish.
Site
name:Balicasag Island near Panglao Island,
SW side reef
Reef
Type:Fringing
GPS Coordinates:09ƒ
32.05í N 123ƒ 39.40í E
Dates of Study: 4-6th November 2000
Bleaching: (% affected): None seen
Coral Diseases: None seen
Visibility: 25m
Crown of Thorns: A total of 5 sighted during 2
days diving.
Sitting
on the mouth of the Cebu Strait, the NE slope ofBalicasag Island reef is located SW of Panglao Island. This
is a popular dive site because it is a protected area.
Ecotourism:
This
dive site is designated a sanctuary strengthened by local support for a clean
and healthy reef. Local vendors and fishermen keep a keen eye out for
destructive activities like bombing and poisoning, reporting any wrong doings to
the authorities, who then pose a fine. A fee must also be paid to the island in
order to dive. Two resorts occupy the island promoting ecotourism as a means of
income in lieu of fishing. There are fixed moorings at many points along the
reef wall allowing easier access as well as discouraging the damaging effects of
anchors.
However,
despite environmental precautions human destruction is still evident. There is
coral rubble settled under the reef ridges, suggesting past bombing. Some
rubbish and debris floats on the surface and old nets sit on the bottom (2 x 2cm
mesh).
The
reef flat was covered in macroalgae and encrusting gray sponge, probably
indicative of human impacts.
Fish:
Fish
identification was overwhelming because species were so varied and abundant.
Schools of pelagics like Jacks and Barracudas were sighted but no sharks or
mantas. Large schools of Topsail Drummers were seen on almost every dive. A
species list is available upon request.
Corals:
There
is an enormous variety of large, healthy corals in all forms. There is little
sedimentation or algae affecting them. A species list is available upon request.
There are many young corals, 5cm or less wide, a sign of regeneration. There are
many large gorgonian fans, anemones, elephant ear sponges and other soft corals.
A
swift current rushing by the steep wall plays a big part in the incredible
vitality and variance of this beautiful reef.
Site
name: Panglao Island, Duljo Point
Reef
Type:Fringing
GPS Coordinates:127ƒ 47.00íE 09ƒ
35.50í N Dates of Study: November 5th 2000
Bleaching (% affected): At surface approx. 5%
Coral diseases: None seen
Visibility: 15m
Crown of Thorns: None seen
Other
observations:
Duljo
reef is located on the SW point of Panglao island at the entrance to Cebu
Strait. A lagoon separates the shore and fringing reef. The reef flat is a
mixture of sea-grass, coral bommies and sandy patches. Sandy slopes spill over
into the reef dumping some sediment onto coral heads. The visibility in this
area was reduced due to floating sediment.
This
area is clearly over fished, as noted by the lack of pelagic fish. Nets were
seen lying on the reef top, and there were several spear fishers at one spot.
Species list available upon request.
There
are large hard and soft corals, including Pocillopora spp., Seriatopora spp.
Porites spp., Montipora spp., Pachyseris spp., Echinophyllia spp, Mycedium spp.
, Lobophyllia spp., Diploastrea spp, Leptoria spp., Montastrea spp. and
Gorgonian fans, Anemones.
Site name: Cabilao Island NW, SW point
Reef
Type:Fringing
GPS Coordinates:N
09ƒ53.00í E 123ƒ45.00í
Dates of Study: 6-7th November 2000
Bleaching (% affected): Approx.2% seen
Coral diseases: None seen
Visibility: 20 m
Crown of Thorns: Approx 2 small ones seen
Other
observations:
The
NW point of Cabilao Island, also known as Hammerhead Point (no sightings since
1995). The reef is sanctioned for protection and is very diver friendly. There
is a beach resort on the island which was busy despite it being low season for
diving. Buoys are situated around the dive site for easy moorings.
This
was a unique experience due to the varied underwater topography. A sloping wall
containing many sandy patches flattens to a ridge at 60-100ft, which then drops
off to a steep wall. There are many barrel sponges as well as soft corals on the
wall, some bent from the flow of current. The shallow reef flat was a mixture of
seagrass, sandy patches and bommies.
The
fish on this point were more diverse then the SW side of the island. A species
list is available upon request.
There
is a large variety of hard corals but these are not so healthy due to a lot of
sedimentation.
The
SW part of the island has been designated a sanctuary. The wall here is also
fairly steep and drops off from 1m to 40m. Hidden within the wall are caves and
crevasses with pockets of rubble. Hard and soft coral diversity and invertebrate
abundance are greater than at the NW site. There are large sea fans and many
anemones. The hard corals, however, have been affected by some bleaching,
macroalgae and excess sedimentation. There are fields of different Acropora spp.
There
seemed to be a lack of pelagics but many smaller reef fish, including trigger
fish, damsels, butterflyfish, school of batfish, minnows and trumpetfish.
Reef Type: Fringing reef
GPS Coordinates: S
02ƒ33.935í E 150ƒ46.835í
Dates of Study:24th July - 4th August 2000 Water temp range(ƒC): 25.8ƒC
to 30.5ƒC
Bleaching: There was hardly any bleaching at all, definitely less than 1%. And what
was there showed the signs of being a natural cycle of random bleaching rather
than the beginning of an epidemic.
Coral
diseases: none observed
Visibility: generally very high, 20m or more
General
topography:
The
reef that we chose to study lies on the north side of Nusa Island.On the east side, closest to the channel between Nusa and Kavieng, the
reef slopes quite steeply from 14m up to about 6m then levels off to a long reef
flat.This part of the reef
receives the brunt of quite heavy wave action.Further along the reef edge to the west, the wall tends to become steeper
- in some places almost vertical - and has developed some recessed ledges where
we frequently saw some very large rock lobsters.At this end of the reef, the wave action is a lot less brutal and this
was very well reflected in the coral growth.
Other
observations:
Coral:
the eastern side of the reef comprises a rubble bed upon which small hardy
corals are able to colonize.There
seemed to be some evidence of storm damage since the reef flat was populated
predominantly by small acropora colonies and little else.The reef slope was covered with fields of echinopora and acropora.The rubble/sand flat at the bottom of the reef wall again had small
colonies of hard corals. The western end of the reef showed a much higher
diversity in hard coral species and also much larger colonies.This reflects the more sheltered environment in which they were growing.Along the rim above the ledges, there were large fields of dead manís
fingers soft corals. The site showed all the signs of being a backreef - with
strip like valleys on the bottom showing the action of surge.
The
general health of the corals was good, but there were random colonies which
suffered from overgrowth by coralline algae, macroalgae, sponge or the green and
white tunicate.
A
small pile of live coral was observed to have been taken from the reef and was
drying on a beach on the island - they use coral locally to make lime powder
which they chew with their betel nut.However,
the amount of coral used in this way is miniscule.
Fish:
the predominant fish life at this site is small reef fish - the topography and
depth lend themselves perfectly to large aggregations of damsels, parrot,
surgeon, butterflyfish, wrasses.The
biodiversity within these fish families was incredibly high, especially
noticeable among the wrasses - for example, in the course of four fish
identification dives, over twenty different species were observed. There were no
cardinal fish at all.The reef was
a flourishing nursery for juvenile flagtail and peacock groupers and leopard
hinds.There were reasonable
numbers of snappers and emperors but very few sweetlips - but itís very
doubtful that this is due to overfishing. At the bottom of the wall, there were
regular passages of jacks, large dogtooth tunas and very large schools of
striped mackerel.An eagle ray was
spotted once during the study.
The
reef is used by the islanders of Nusa for subsistence fishing.There are no large scale fishing operations in the immediate area here
right now.Some Japanese and
Taiwanese ships passed through a couple of years ago but didnít stay long and
didnít cause too much harm by local accounts.The most common fishing method is line fishing - there were few spear
fishermen.The fishermen have nets
but use these at sea, not on the reefs.
There is a very
large population of the highly prized barramundi cod and rock lobsters a little
further out to sea from our study site.The
fact that these two valuable commodoties have not been raped by the local
fishermen for profit reflect their lack of intent to exploit the reefs for
commercial benefit.There is a strong sense of understanding amongst the
islanders of how important a healthy reef is to their future and a very keen
desire to see more of what it is they hold in their hands - we videoed the reef
and they were desperate to see the footage.
Shoreline:
The
shoreline is a little rugged.The
tides are fairly large.
Other
diving action:
Nusa
Channel appears to be a stopover for liveaboard boats in PNG - during our
monthís stay here we encountered three large liveaboard vessels.They dived frequently at a site north of our study site called Echuca
Patch - a reef patch that starts at 16m with a small wreck.They did not dive near the study site.
Site name: Sagharughombe Island (also known as One Tree Island)
Reef Type: Fringing
GPS Coordinates - Ship's Anchorage: S 08° 06. 776' E 156° 06.776'
GPS Coordinates - Study Site: S 08° 06.987' E 156° 54.661'
Dates of Study: 24th April to June 2nd 2000
Water Temperature range (°C): 27°C to 34°C
Bleaching: (% affected) Local divers noticed the start of a bleaching
epidemic in January 2000 . Some walls have up to 30% corals bleached. In
some colonies filamentous and macroalgae have taken root on the bleached
corals and there is little chance of recovery. The worst hit species are
the huge table acroporas, some of the large branching acroporas, the foliose
pachyseris, Seriatopora, Favites and Pociliopora species. There also appeared
to be soft coral bleaching, many anemones have changed colour from dull
cream to vibrant purples and yellows. Some sites were definately worsely
affected than others but in general bleaching has started here and local
divers are seeing a rapid decline in the state of the reefs.
Coral diseases: Most elephants ear sponges are being ravaged by some
kind of disease. The majority of massive porites has very uniform strips
of white, similar to a fish bite but the coral tissue was still alive.
It may have been a very specific form of bleaching.
Visibility: This averaged at about 20m and was generally very good.
Crown of Thorns: There were none sighted at our study site but the occasional
single animal was seen at other dive sites in the area.
Other observations: In general in the Solomon Islands, reefs are
laid claim to by the communities that live on the nearest shore which can
make diving complicated but ensures that there is a control over fishing
methods. This area is so far untouched by the live reef fish trade in Hong
Kong etc. - large fish are still caught for local consumption, big groupers
for sale in the market etc. The reef that we chose for our study site was
close to an island inhabited by a community of Gilbertese islanders who
were relocated to the Solomons in the 1950s. They do not claim to own the
fishing rights of these reefs and the result is an incredibly healthy population
of commercial fish. There are reef sharks, napoleon wrasse, large and plentiful
groupers and snappers (especially malcolor niger)and devil rays. Small
reef fish are also abundant and varied. Corals: in the shallows(<1m)
the corals covered about 30%of the area. Between 2-5m this increased to
about 40% as the slope incline increased variably around the reef. As the
slope increased from 6-18m the coverage increased to about 90%. The corals
predominant in the study area were mixed Porites with Acropora, as well
as Montipora, Favites, Pavona, Fungi, Pocillipora, Lobophillia, Turbinaria,
Goniastrea, Cypastrea, Millipora, Diploastrea, Hydnophora, Favia, Echinopora
and Psammocora. Percentages of those corals found with excess sedimentation,
algae and bleaching are shown in Table 3. There were very few urchins in
the study site.
Site name: Shipwreck Reef Type: fringing
GPS Coordinates - Ship's Anchorage: S 06°05' 27.4" E 124°21'59.3
Dates of Study: 14th - 17th of March, 2000
Water Temperature range (°C): 31-31.8°C
Bleaching: 20-30% colonies bleached
Visibility: 40 feet
Crown of Thorns: not observed
The island was part of an outer ring of islands surrounding the large
Seeadler Harbor. Wave action was often quite strong on the northern coast,
this was reflected in the reef. Here the shallower corals tended to be
quite small and low to the ground. Deeper, there were some larger boulder
corals. The reef was of the crest and groove formation. On the northeastern
edge, there was a large shipwreck. Most of our dives were in this area.
Here we saw the most widespread bleaching that we have seen in at least
18 months. In certain areas, up to 50% of the corals had some bleaching.
Genuses affected were: Pocillopora, Seriatopora hystrix and other species,
Goniastrea, Fungia, Lobophyllia, Favites, Pachyseris, Favia, Montipora,
Acropora, Astreopora, Porites, and Mycedium. Acropora, the dominant genus
on the reef, was also the most affected by bleaching, along with Pocillopora.
The bleaching may have been due to the uncommonly high water temperatures
here. We also saw some other strange coral conditions. In several of the
corals, healthy coral was separated from white skeleton by a band of what
appeared to be black filamentous algae. In other corals, a similar effect
was seen, but an encrusting sponge separated live from dead coral.
We also heard a couple of bombs, set by dynamite fishers, and saw dead
fish floating on the surface. We did not see any evidence of destruction
to the corals themselves. According to local villagers, cyanide has also
been used here in the past, in the collection of bait fish. Otherwise,
we have been pleased to note that these reefs seem to be relatively well
taken care of. The reefs are owned by the villagers, and each family is
responsible for a particular section. This may be one factor contributing
to the overall good health of these reefs.
We noted high instances of macroalgae, mostly Halimeda. It was ususally
growing on already dead substrate, or among the branches of Acropora, and
did not appear to be killing the coral. There were also many soft corals
evident.
There were quite a few fish, and many edible species. We saw a 70 cm
grouper, sweetlips, coral trout, and red emperor. Also a healthy population
of pelagics passing through; rainbow runners, mackerel, dogtooth tuna,
silvertip shark. On one occasion, we saw a 3 meter sting ray.
Site name: Alacrity Harbour
Reef Type: Atoll
GPS Coordinates - Ship's Anchorage S 01° 29' 03.6" E 145°
07' 58.5"
Dates of Study: 20.- 25. February 2000
Bleaching: not observed
Coral diseases: not observed
Visibility: 30 m
Crown of Thorns: not observed
Other observations: The site is part of an atoll north of Papua New
Guinea. We mostly dove around a pass to a lagoon and the adjacent drop
off reef area. The outside reef slope goes from the shallow reef chrest
down to 20 - 30 meters, where the drop off starts. The inside reef opposite
the drop off goes down to 10 - 15 meters. In this area many huge sized
living coral colonies were observed, for example Porites heads up to 6
meters in diameter, but also huge colonies of Galaxea and foliaceous Turbinaria.
On the shallow reef crest where the waves are breaking the coral coverage
is about 10 %. The outside reef slope to the drop off has an estimated
coral coverage of 50 %.
In general the individual corals are in good conditions, although there
are several spots in the reef where the corals are dead and overgrown by
red algae and also some rubble fields on the inside reef. On every dive
some territorial white tip and black tip reef sharks were observed, as
well as turtles. Several times devil rays where observed and we had an
encounter with a group of seven bottle nose dolphins at the edge of the
drop off. Beside the common reef fish, commercial fish like jacks and mackerels
were observed , but not in a quantity that you would expect for an oceanic
atoll. There were also no large groupers observed, only some smaller specimens.
In general the fish and coral diversity did not seem to be as high as in
comparable reefs of Indonesia.
The reef area is managed by the local village (146 people), which is
trying to protect the area for tourism. Foreign fishing vessels do not
have permission to operate in the area and the local fishing methods are
limited to spearfishing, linefishing and bamboo trap fishing. In an rotating
system reef areas get recovery times during which nothing from the reef
is taken. Fishing is only for personal use, while the collected crocshells
and sea cucumbers are for commercial purposes. According to an historian
and events recorder for the island, a Hong Kong company came to the island
and caught live fish. This can be seen in the makeup of fish species. They
caught both small fish for bait, and larger fish for export. They used
cyanide, which would explain the dead coral patches overgrown by algae.
Turtles were sighted here every day. Also marlin, schools of rainbow runners,
and a healthy population of sharks (white and silver tip, plus one tiger
shark). There were many cetaceans spotted, including sperm whales, spinner
dolphins, and pilot whales.
Site name: drop off outside the atoll
Reef Type: atoll
GPS Coordinates - Ship's Anchorage: S 06°05' 27.4" E 124°21'59.3"
Dates of Study: 26th - 27th of January, 2000
Water Temperature range (°C): 29°C
Bleaching: 0 (% affected)
Visibility: 100 feet
Crown of Thorns: not observed
Other observations: The mostly 90° steep drop offs outside the atoll
were richly overgrown (95%) by sponges, softcorals and other invertebrates
and only covered by some encrusting hardcorals (5%). On some less steep
slopes in 60 - 90 feet, there was a higher hard coral coverage of up to
90%, mostly encrusting corals or plate form.The reef crest was less overgrown
with lots of old coral stone and a live hard coral coverage of 30%. The
reef top consisted mostly of old coral stone with some new patchy coral
colonies (10% coverage). In general the reef seemed to be in good condition.
Coral, fish and invertebrate diversity was high. There was no obvious coral
damage notable. The human impact on the reef drop offs seemed to be low.
Only occasional little local fishing boats that worked with line fishing
were observed. However, the quantity of reef fish and commercial fish including
less common species like white tip, black tip reef shark, Napoleon wrasse
and different mackerels was not high. Inside the atoll rubble fields were
observed which indicated possible occurrences of fish bombing. A list of
fish and corals that were observed during four dives is attatched :
Site name: Lacerations Reef
Reef Type: Fringing reef
GPS Coordinates - Study Site S 08° 40' 28.8" E 115° 26' 25.7"
Dates of Study: December 2-December 13, 1999
Water Temperature range (°C): 27.5-30.5
Bleaching: (% affected): <1%
Coral diseases: None noted
Crown of Thorns: None noted
Other observations: We returned to the same site as two years ago, to
repeat the transects. Unfortunately, we were unable to find the pins for
the transects. However, we did find the Porites heads that were cored.
The holes were evident, but the coral had healed around the edges. The
holes from the stand of the drill had also healed.
Lembongan corals were generally quite healthy. There was high sedimentation,
mainly due to the strong surge. Underneath the sediment, however, the corals
were still live and healthy. There was quite a bit of rubble and broken
corals, probably also for the same reason. The main problems affecting
the corals were black encrusting sponges, snails, and crabs. There was
quite good diversity in coral species, and also quite a bit of coral competition.
However, there were almost no commercial fish species, neither sea urchins
nor edible sea cucumbers.
Lembongan was a very difficult site. It was located quite close to breaking
waves, where there were several surf spots. The water was often quite cold,
and the surge and current were strong.
Site name: Backyard Reef Reef Type: Patch reef
Dates of Study: October 16-23rd, 1999
Ship's Anchorage 100 meters SE of study site GPS Coordinates
Study Site: S 05° 44'50.5" E 123° 53'33.5"
Water Temperature range (°C): 29-30.50
Bleaching (% affected) : less than 1%
Coral diseases: None
Visibility: 50ft+
Crown of Thorns: None
Other observations: The site is a beautiful oval shaped patch reef with
live coral coverage estimated over 90% on the crest and the north side,
which faces the open ocean. The south side had considerably less coral
coverage due to frequent ship anchors. The west tip had abundant fish with
occurrences of large commercial fish.
Site name: Hon Tam Island Reef Type: Fringing reef
Ship's Anchorage Latitude: 12° 12.384' N Longitude: 109° 13.076'
E
Study Site Latitude: 12° 10.459' N Longitude: 109° 14.375' E
Dates of Study: August 12, 1999- September 6, 1999
Bleaching: Very little - < 5%
Visibility: Variable.
Crown of Thorns: None noted
The individual corals around the island we studied were usually quite
healthy, but there were only limited areas of living coral. There were
small sections of healthy corals, then large sections of dead or heavily
sedimented corals, mainly due to runoff from a nearby river. From reports
made by the Insitute of Oceanography, which has been studying Nha Trang
Bay for the last 90 years, we know that the corals have been declining
in the past years.
