Ten percent of the world's reefs have been completely destroyed.
In the Philippines, where coral reef destruction is the worst, over 70% have been destroyed and
only 5% can be said to be in good condition.
There are two different ways in which humans have contributed to the degradation of the Earth's
coral reefs, indirectly and directly. Indirectly, we have destroyed their environment. As you read
earlier, coral reefs can live only in very clear water.
The large population centers near coasts has led to silting of reefs, pollution by nutrients that lead to
algal growth that smothers the coral, and overfishing that has led to increase in number of predators
that eat corals.
Warming of the ocean causes corals to sicken and die. Even a rise of one degree in the average
water temperature can hurt the coral. Due to global warming, 1998 was the hottest year in the last
six centuries and 1998 was the worst year for coral.
The most obvious sign that coral is sick is coral bleaching. That is when either the algae inside die, or
the algae leave the coral. The algae are what give coral its color, so without the algae the coral has no
color and the white of the limestone shell shines through the transparent coral bodies. People have
been noticing coral bleaching since the turn of the century, but only since the 1980s has it gotten really
bad.
The direct way in which humans destroy coral reefs is by physically killing them. All over the world, but
especially in the Philippines, divers catch the fish that live in and around coral reefs.
They sell these fish to fancy restaurants in Asia and to fancy pet stores in the United States.
This would be OK if the divers caught the fish carefully with nets and didn't hurt the reefs or take too
many fish. But the divers want lots of fish and most of them are not very well trained at fish catching.
Often they blow up a coral reef with explosives (picture below) and then catch all the stunned fish
swimming around. This completely destroys the reefs, killing the coral polyps that make it as well as many
of the plants and animals that call it home. And the creatures that do survive are left homeless.
Another way that divers catch coral reef fish is with cyanide. Cyanide is a poison. The divers pour this
poison on the reef, which stuns the fish and kills the coral. Then they rip open the reef with crowbars and
catch the fish while they are too sick from the poison to swim away. This poison kills 90% of the fish that
live in the reef and the reef is completely destroyed both by the poison and then by being ripped apart.
All this may seem a bit depressing, but there are many groups in the world dedicated to saving the coral
reefs. These groups work to educate people about the destruction of coral reefs. They lobby the United
States Congress as well as the governments of other nations, trying to convince them not to buy fish that
have been caught by destroying coral reefs. They encourage governments to crack down on pollution,
both into the ocean and into the air, which causes global warming. They encourage visitors to coral reefs
to be careful not to harm them. They even build artificial reefs to replace the reefs that have been
destroyed.
Conclusion
Our study suggested that the degradation of coral reefs had deeply affected the biodiversity,
community trophic structure, and the group size of dominant species, resulting in the dominance of
herbivores and the decline of planktivores, and the reduction of the mean and upper bound of the
group size of fish across different trophic groups.
Seagrasses meadows form one of the most important and richest coastal habitats in the ocean. They
support a range of keystone and ecologically important marine species from all trophic levels.
Common threats
1. Water Quality
2. Coastal development
3. Dredging
4. Boating
5. Trawling
6. Anchoring
Fisherfolk organization Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas
(Pamalakaya), citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), showed that agri-fisheries
production went down by 1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022 and overall contracted by 0.1
percent that year.
Declining fish catch
MANILA, Philippines—The all-year-round decline in fisheries production in 2022 and three straight years
of agri-fisheries losses should alarm the current administration, according to a progressive fisherfolk
group.
The successive year-on-year decline in production in agriculture and fisheries is very worrisome. This will
explain why the price of basic foods in the country is also increasing,” Arambulo added.
Fishing is one of the oldest forms of subsistence, relying on the abundance of aquatic resources for
survival. Millions of people still rely on marine fisheries for livelihood and food even up to this date.
However, due to the high demand, many fishers used illegal methods in order to catch fish faster and
more profitably. Various forms of illegal fishing contribute to the depletion of fish stocks (Alvarico et al.,
2021).
Cyanide fishing in the Philippines has been practiced since 1962 in Central Visayas and Batangas,
targeting tropical marine fish, especially agile and inaccessible reef fishes, and contributes an important
role to the devastation of coral reefs and food and the dwindling of aquarium fish (Rubec, 1986; Cudia &
Romero, 2022).
Muro-ami is destructive fishing that originated in Japan around the 1930s, where Okinawan migrant
fishers came to the central Philippines to fish (Anonymous, 1985; Olofson, 2014).
DYNAMITE (BLAST) FISHING
Anecdotal evidence shows that in the Philippines, an alternative to dynamite such as the use of locally
available resources, like fertilizers (ammonium nitrate or sodium nitrate), prepared and mixed with
kerosene or gasoline, and the explosive mixture is poured into an empty glass bottle.
Overfishing is catching too many fish at once, so the breeding population becomes too depleted to
recover. Overfishing often goes hand in hand with wasteful types of commercial fishing that haul in massive
amounts of unwanted fish or other animals, which are then discarded.
What are the effects of overfishing?
1. Decline in Fish Populations: Overfishing depletes fish populations, leading to declines in their
numbers and sizes. Targeted species, such as popular commercial fish like tuna, cod, or salmon,
are particularly vulnerable.
2. Disruption of Marine Food Chains: Fish play a crucial role in marine food chains,
serving as a food source for other species. Overfishing disrupts these food chains,
leading to imbalances in ecosystems.
3. Loss of Biodiversity: As certain fish populations decline or disappear; it can result in a reduction
in species diversity. This loss of biodiversity can disrupt the overall health and functioning of marine
ecosystems, making them more vulnerable to other environmental stresses.
4. Alteration of Marine Habitats: Some fishing methods, such as bottom trawling, can cause
physical damage to marine habitats like coral reefs, seafloor ecosystems, and underwater
structures.
5. Economic Impact: When fish populations decline, it can lead to decreased catches, reduced
revenues, and potential job losses in the fishing sector.
6. Food Security and Nutrition: Fish provide a significant source of protein and essential nutrients
for many communities around the world, particularly in coastal regions. Depleted fish stocks can
lead to higher prices and limited access to fish for local populations.
Coastal development is often accompanied by increasing competition between different users for space
for their activities within the coastal environment. There is demand for space for buildings, structures,
and facilities, both on land and within the coastal marine area. This demand comes from the need to
support recreational activities (eg, walking, swimming, surfing, kayaking, jet skiing and boating),
commercial activities (eg, ports and aquaculture), and infrastructure (eg, roading, seawalls, stormwater
outfalls, and marine energy generation).
The supply of land on the coast is often limited by natural topography. Coastal land is affected by the
dynamic influence of the coast including sea and weather. Where coastal development uses and activities
are not compatible or are not managed proactively and effectively, there can be loss of property, loss of
public values, and damage to important infrastructure. Competition for space can also cause conflict. This
may restrict public access to varying degrees, impact on natural character and coastal landscapes,
increasing the risks from natural hazards, affect coastal historic heritage, impact on coastal biodiversity
and the special relationship with the coastal environment.
The coastal marine area is part of the coastal environment. Understanding the extent, characteristics and
dynamic nature of the coastal environment is important for managing the wide range of coastal
development issues, activities and effects within the coastal environment.
