Title: Restoring the Reef in Jamaica
By: Jessica Marina
Transcript:
Coral reefs may be seen as the rain forests of the sea as they provide shelter as well as nursery grounds for a very large number of organisms in the sea. They supply food for millions worldwide, are used for medical or cancer treatments, and they also have a great economic value in relations to the tourism industry. They act as a barrier protection for around one-sixth of the world's coastlines, absorbing large amounts of wave energy and therefore shielding thousands of dollars in property value when considering the impact of erosion had the reef system not been around. Unfortunately, however, the coral reef system has been and is currently impacted by a range of aspects including natural factors; such as hurricanes and coral diseases as well as increasing sea temperature and some anthropogenic factors including coral mining, pollution (such as sedimentation), overfishing, work for fishing practices like dynamiting and spearfishing. This is Jessica Marina and I am presenting to you this short podcast pertaining to the coral reef ecosystem in Jamaica, and what is being done to protect and conserve this precious necessity to the livelihoods of the people living in this region. For the purpose of this podcast, I will be focusing on coral restoration projects. These can be personally defined as a means of producing more viable coral that can then be transplanted into the sea bed to provide its various functions. Having been given the privilege of observing various sanctuaries or protected areas in Jamaica, my peers and I were able to visit a site in Oracabessa Bay. It was in Oracabessa that we were able to learn more about eco-reefs as well as physically observe and discuss a coral nursery project alongside restoration ecologist Andrew Ross. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, acropora corals were nearly wiped out from hurricanes, disease, a reduction of grazers from overfishing, and algae growth. Since then, efforts to improve this essential species are being taken through these coral restoration projects. Eco-reefs are form of artificial reef that mimic acropora and are considered a community project to provide for the functioning of a coral nursery as well as a transition zone or habitat for fish and other organisms in the sea. In theory, these eco-reefs are supposed to attract fish and according to our infield observations and various discussions with local community members, this seems to be the case. While visiting Oracabessa, Andrew also introduced us to his coral nursery, otherwise called a buoy drop attachment line, which began in 2009 in the Oracabessa Bay sanctuary. Acropora are a type of Stoney coral which reproduce asexually through fragmentation or the cloning of existing colonies with the same genetic material. Before this project was underway, they were able to find two donor corals from which they obtained one hundred tiny fragments or pieces to begin their nursery. Since then, in the absence of a hurricane, the survivorship rate of the fragmented calls in the nursery has been one hundred percent. These fragments are grown on the line just below the water surface in order to optimize growth and alleviate stresses, such as disease and predation, to the corals which occurs more frequently lower in the water column. These fragments can then be planted back to the reef using common fishing line; which has been proven to be the best technique, opposed to wire and epoxy. After planting, they can continue to grow and therefore provide its various functions. So, in retrospect, we may therefore beg the question of whether or not these coral restoration projects are effective given the occurrence of various impacts; including some natural factors that could not necessarily be controlled, like hurricanes. On the other hand, we can also have ease of mind in knowing that efforts are actually being taken and at least something is being done to preserve this precious ecosystem.