wildlife and offshore drilling coral reefs

8/9/2019 Wildlife and Offshore Drilling Coral Reefs

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Coral reefs in the Gulf of MexiCo

Corals are distinctive or the symbiotic relationship between atiny animal and an even tinier alga. Te coral itsel is a primi-tive animal related to jellysh, consisting mostly o a stomachtopped with tentacles that they use to sting and eat foatingplankton. Inside its body, the coral harbors algae that helpnourish the creature. Corals usually live in large colonies, andbuild hard skeletons o calcium carbonate around themselvesthat can extend hundreds o miles long. Tese coral rees oerboth ood and shelter to other aquatic organisms, enabling theree ecosystem to pull itsel up by its proverbial bootstraps andcreate a marine oasis.

Te Gul o Mexico is a semienclosed sea with warm,nutrient-rich waters. In the northern Gul o Mexico, coralrees occur along the mid- to outer-edge o the continentalshel o the Big Bend area o Florida, and especially at theshel break o exas and Louisianaan area that includes

One of natures most spectacular creations, coral reefs are also among the mostcomplex, diverse and economically valuable ecosystems in the world. They account

for only one-tenth of one percent of the worlds surface area, yet they harbor at least5 percent of its known species and 25 percent of all marine speciesleading some tocall them the rainforests of the sea. Sadly, coral reefs face myriad threats, including oilspreading across the Gulf of Mexico from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Wildlife and OffshOre drilling

The 2010 Guf f Mexc Dter: Cr Reef

the well-known Flower Gardens. Extensive areas o scatteredbanks and individual coral heads also occur in very shallowshel regions around south and central Florida.

Flower Garden Banks o TexasBeneath indigo blue waters approximately 100 miles southeasto Galveston, exas, lie the East and West Flower GardenBanksthe northernmost coral rees on the continental shelo North America. Consisting o two separate rees 12 milesapart, these submarine banks rise rom depths o 328 eet andcrest in water 60 eet deep. Tey were designated as the FlowerGarden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in 1992.

Te Flower Gardens are topped by an assemblage o 28species o ree-building corals and associated organisms.Dominant species include boulder star coral, symmetricalbrain coral, mustard hill coral and the great star coral. A widearray o other marine lieincluding rays, sharks, sea turtles

FloRiDas baRRiR RF CoRTsy Noaa; oil RiG .s. Coas


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and marine mammalsalso requent the shallow, warmwaters here. More than 170 species o sh and approximately300 species o ree invertebrates inhabit these banks. Colorulcorals and a diversity o marine lie associated with them areunique or this latitude, so ar north rom where most coralrees occur. Te Flower Garden Banks are among the leastdisturbed coral rees anywhere in the Caribbean and western

Atlantic.Within a radius o about three miles o this sanctuary,

there are currently 10 oil production platorms withapproximately 100 miles o pipeline. Within the boundaryo the East Flower Garden Banks, there is a gas productionplatorm.

Coral rees o FloridaTere are three main areas o coral rees and banks in Florida:the Florida Keys; the southeastern coast rom northernMonroe County to Palm Beach County; and the FloridaMiddle Grounds in the eastern Gul o Mexico, south oApalachicola and northwest o arpon Springs. In addition,there are many coral habitats scattered along Floridas westcoast shel. New coral communities are still being discovered,such as those documented along Pulley Ridge in 150-200eet o water o Florida Bay.

Arching southwest almost 230 miles rom south o Miamito the Dry ortugas, the ree tract o the Florida Keys is thethird-longest barrier ree in the world. Most o the ree tractlies inside the 3,700 square miles o Florida Keys NationalMarine Sanctuary. Dominant corals here include the great

star coral, massive starlet coral, re corals, mustard hill coral,nger coral and lettuce coral.

Coral ree ecosystems in Florida are extremely diverse,supporting a total o more than 6,000 speciesincluding520 types o sh; 128 varieties o starsh, sea urchins, sanddollars and sea cucumbers; 55 species o sot corals; and 63species o stony corals. Tese are the nations only coral rees

adjacent to the continent, and they also shelter one o thelargest sea grass communities in this hemisphere.

Rees are important to the economy, with ree-relatedtourism in the United States generating $17.5 billion eachyear. In just a our-county area o south Florida, natural reesare estimated to be worth $7.6 billion. Tis capital valuegenerates $228 million in economic dividends each year,including a ree-related catch o commercial sh rangingrom $22 million to $32 million, $35 million to $52 millionin local sales related to ecotourism and income o $22million to $33 million to local residents; and rees support asmany as 2,300 local jobs.

Endangered coralsBranching species like elkhorn and staghorn corals are nowhighly imperiled. Elkhorn coral populations have declined atleast 90 percent since 1980. Treats to these corals includedisease, coral bleaching, predation, climate change, stormdamage and human activity rom boating, pollution andsedimentation. Both o these corals were listed as threatenedunder the Endangered Species Act in 2006. Pillar coral islisted as endangered by the state o Florida.

Among the creatures living in reefs in

he Gulf of Mexico is elkhorn coral,

which is listed as threatened under the

Endangered Species Act. Already beset

by climate change, disease, bleaching

and other problems, this rare coral is now

eopardized by the oil spill from the BP

Deepwater Horizon disaster.


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iMpaCts of oil

Direct exposure rom oil smothers corals, killing rees.Intertidal corals are the most vulnerable, since oil on thesurace o the water alls directly onto the ree at low tide.Branching corals also are more susceptible to damage rom oilthan are the larger plate-like corals. All corals are vulnerable,however, because oil can mix with sediment or thin out romsun exposure and then sink to the top o the ree. A 2-million

gallon oil spill on the Caribbean coast o Panama in 1986 ledto chronic oil exposure that reduced by up to 95 percent thenumbers o corals, total coral cover and species diversity oryears aterward.

Spilled oil must be prevented rom reaching coral rees.Flexible booms can be used to isolate oil foating on thesurace, preventing it rom spreading, while skimmers collectit. Tis technique is eective, however, only i the oil is on thewater surace and only in air weather. A particular concernwith the BP Deepwater Horizon spill is the unknown size andtrajectories o oil plumes beneath the ocean surace.

Indirect efectsHarm to corals rom oil can be substantial. Coral tissue canswell rom oil exposure, lead to copious mucous productionand prompt a bacterial inection. Oiling can also impairthe reproduction o corals by harming adults, decreasingthe viability o larvae or polluting the ree fats upon whichthe larvae settle to mature.

Researchers have ound that oil dispersants are more toxicto coral than the oil itsel. In a study in the Red Sea, all Indo-

Pacic branching coral samples were killed by dispersantsapplied in concentrations recommended by the manuactur-ers. As a result, the use o oil dispersants is not recommendedanywhere near rees.

Pollution associated with oil spills also makes coralmore susceptible to bleaching. Bleachingthe loss ocorals symbiotic algaehas occurred in rees worldwidebecause o warmer water temperatures, hazardous material

spills, boating accidents and other environmental stresses.Bleaching can kill corals, and those that are able to survivehave impaired reproduction, slowed growth and reducedhealing capability.

Impacts o oil spills combined with climate change andother threatsMounting evidence suggests that climate change exacerbatesdisease threats to corals. Other important eects romclimate change include more high-temperature anomalies,changes in wind patterns, increases in extreme weatherevents and ocean acidication. Corals have a airly narrow

water-temperature tolerance. High temperatures stress coraland lead to bleaching. High water temperatures also directlybenet disease organisms like bacteria that attack corals.Furthermore, higher temperatures allow these bacteria tothrive in more acidic conditions, which overcome the coralsmain deense mechanism, an outer protective coating.Indeed, both actors may work to reinorce the damage,with warm temperatures both stressing the coral andexacerbating disease.

Coral reefs are known as the rainfore

the sea because they support such

diversity of life. Here a red night s

perches on the reef in Flower G

Banks National Marine Sanc

This unique reef is located about 100

southeast of Galvestonperilously

to the source of the Gulf o


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DEFENDERS OF WILDLIF

1130 17th Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20036

202.682.9400

www.deenders.org

What Citizens Can Do

When boating and diving around coral rees, keepboats, anchors, anchor lines and diving equipmentaway rom vulnerable sites to eliminate the risk oentangling and breaking corals.

Select sae and biodegradable household cleaners,lawn, and garden ertilizers, and reduce water use incoastal areas near corals to limit water run-o thatcan harm corals.

Purchase only corals and live ree species that havebeen certiied as sustainably and humanely acquired,whether rom the wild or rom mariculture busi-nesses.

Adopt sustainable recreational ishing practices thatdont deplete unique ree ish communities.

Urge your elected oicials to pass comprehensiveclimate change legislation that addresses the impacts

o global warming on wildlie and our naturalresources.

What poliCy Makers Can Do

Ensure that BP unds long-term research necessary ordocumenting impacts to coral rees in all areas aected bythe spill, including mitigation or the long-term damagecaused to corals rom nonlethal exposure.

Gittings, S. R., and E. L. Hickerson. 1998. Introduction to a Dedicated

Issue on the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Gulf ofMexico Science16(2):128.

Guzmn, H. M., J. B. C. Jackson, and E. Weil. 1991. Short-term ecologiconsequences o a major oil spill on Panamanian subtidal ree corals. CorReefs10: 1-12.

Jackson, J. B. C., et al. 1989. Ecological eects o a major oil spill onPanamanian coastal marine communities. Science243: 37-44.

Johns, G. M., V. R. Leeworthy, F. W. Bell, and M. A. Bonn. 2001.Socioeconomic study o rees in southeast Florida. Report by Hazen andSawyer under contract to Broward County, Florida. 255 pp.

Loya, Y. and B. Rinkevich. 1980. Eects o oil pollution on coral reecommunities.Marine Ecology Progress Series3: 167-180.

urgeon, D.D., R.G. Asch, B.D. Causey, R.E. Dodge, W. Jaap, K. BanksJ. Delaney, B.D. Keller, R. Speiler, C.A. Matos, J.R. Garcia, E. Diaz,D. Catanzaro, C.S. Rogers, Z. Hillis-Starr, R. Nemeth, M. aylor, G.P.Schmahl, M.W. Miller, D.A. Gulko, J.E. Maragos, A.M. Friedlander, C.LHunter, R.S. Brainard, P. Craig, R.H. Richond, G. Davis, J. Starmer, M.rianni, P. Houk, C.E. Birkeland, A. Edward, Y. Golbuu, J. Gutierrez, NIdechong, G. Paulay, A. aleichig, and N. Vander Velde. 2002. Te Stato Coral Ree Ecosystems o the United States and Pacic Freely AssociatStates: 2002. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/NationOcean Service/National Centers or Coastal Ocean Science, Silver SpringMD. 265 pp.

REFERENCES

For the latest information on the oil spill, visit www.defendersblog.org

Support coastal management practices that mini-mize the harmul eects o beach renourishment,channel deepening and channel maintenance.

Advocate shipping practices that eliminate hullouling and release o ballast water that introducesharmul, non-native species to ree ecosystems.

Impose greater saety and environmental standardsand develop comprehensive spill response plans on

existing oshore drilling operations. Prevent expanded drilling operations o the coast tolimit uture spill risks.

Enact comprehensive energy and climate changepolicies to transition away rom harmul oil andossil uels.ose-up of a sea fan, a soft

oral often found off the coast of

orida. Not only does oil smother

nd kill corals, it also makes them

ore susceptible to disease,

eaching and other problems. Oil

spersants are even more toxic to

orals than the oil itself.

CouRTesyFGbNMs/

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wildlife and offshore drilling coral reefs

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