Damage to coral reefs and its effects

According to Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Philippine coral reef area is known to be the second largest in the Southeast Asian region and is estimated to have an area of 26, 000 square kilometers.

As of 1997, it was found that a mere 4% of Philippine coral reefs are in pristine condition, 28% in good condition, 42% in fair condition and 27% in poor condition. Wikipedia reports that 30% of the coral reefs in Philippines are dead while 39% are dying. The main contributors to the catastrophe of these beautiful coral reefs are deemed to be destructive and booming fishing habits mainly to cater to the expanding Philippine population and the increase in the poverty rate, whereby these underprivileged people living along coastal areas depend primarily on subsistence fishing for their livelihoods and do so by engaging in these disastrous fishing habits which further proliferate the damage to the coral reefs. Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources makes reference to one particular fishing technique known as Muro-ami, which involves sending divers about 10-30 m under the sea with metal weights strapped to their belts to knock on corals so that fish hiding or living amongst the corals will come out and swim into the nets waiting for them to be caught. This technique was banned in 1986 as it was considered to be extremely damaging to the coral reefs.

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Divers under the sea engaging in Muro-Ami
Image source: Camshiddenmasterpiece.blogspot.sg

About 70% of fisheries have been ruined as a result of overfishing and pollution. These fisheries were formerly known to be teeming with the most exotic varieties of marine creatures. Though government regulations have decreased the exploitation to these once-abundant coral reefs, the people engaging in these damaging habits have moved to more remote areas in the Philippines, such as the Palawan group of islands where coral reefs are still known to be in excellent condition.

Source of the above information: Bureau of fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

The above link also gives information on what kinds of corals are prohibited for trade and some pictures of them. Please visit the website to know more about the beautiful Philippine coral varieties.

According to Business Mirror, the Philippines being one of the countries in the Coral Triangle, is the richest hotspot for marine biodiversity. They report that out of the 10,000 marine species that the Global Marine Species Assessment studies, a third comes from the Philippines. They also identify the constant decline in marine species in the country attributing the losses to the aquarium-fish industry and other causes such as urbanization, dynamite fishing and overexploitation  of fisheries.

According to Bagheera.com, coral reefs are physically and biologically important, as they protect coastlines from erosion and contribute to the formation of white sandy beaches. However, human factors have threatened these fragile ecosystems to such a large extent that they are declining at an alarming rate.

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Recent occurrences of “coral bleaching” have alarmed scientists. This phenomenon occurs when coral polyps are stressed by environmental changes and lose their algae coating and turn white. Source: Coral Reefs an “Endangered Species”