I will start this article by first and foremost stating the fact that it doesn’t matter if you believe in global warming or not. The truth is our oceans coral reefs are already in serious danger and here are the facts of what is going on in our ocean;
A huge amount of the world’s coral/reef are degrading or already dead. I’ve seen coral/reef death rates in the 20-60 percent range throughout the world. These are some seriously scary numbers seeing that 25% of all species in the ocean spend at least part of their lives in the coral/reef ecosystem. Once the shelter of the coral reefs for these species is gone, the harsh truth is, so are they.
Other issues damaging the coral are run offs that are fertilizing the algae and creating growth rates at a much higher rate than nature alone can control. Along with this overgrowth of algae overfishing is removing the grazers that keeps the reef algae in check. With the overgrowth of algae, the coral suffocates and dies, hence the “bleaching affect”. These two combined issues could be enough to eradicate the majority of any and all coral/reef near any agricultural runoffs.
If this wasn’t bad enough we are now facing issues with ocean acidification which is destroying existing reef and affecting the reefs ability to produce new colonies. The ocean should have a pH of around 8.2 near the surface. It is now between 8.1 and 8.0 with predictions to be at 7.8 by 2100 which would kill all or most of the world’s reef. Pirate’s Coral is dedicated to sustaining the coral that can now survive in the current pH levels and helping to minimize the bleaching process of coral reefs around the world. We are also dedicated to the rebuilding and creating of new sanctuary processes.
What does this mean for us? The depletion of certain species of fish will certainly affect our food supply, as well as fishing imports/exports and all jobs related to. The lack of the coral reefs protecting our coastlines would allow the oceans fury to crash upon the land with unforgiving results as has been seen in many places throughout the world.
Let me explain. The reef fish that eat the algae and then excrete the sand that builds up the coast lines so the high tides do not wash upon our man made havens of vacation paradise. Could you imagine being in Maldives…in a bungalow anchored to the ocean floor not far off shore? Now imagine life without the coral reef and sand, the high tide would flood your ocean paradise. With the reef and sand in-tact and preserved, your paradise can continue along with the revenue it generates. The ocean can affect all of us if we do not protect it in any and every way we can.
Pirate’s Coral can help save the oceans coral/reef and you can be a part of this too. Pirate’s Coral is dedicated to saving the world’s depleting coral reefs, one sanctuary at a time! We are currently planning the next sanctuary drop this summer and encourage you to be a part of this movement to help save our ocean’s coral reefs. Please visit our Call to Action or Volunteer pages for more information on how you can help make a difference today for our future tomorrow.
