invisible damage

The BBC has an article today highlighting a Science report about the dismal state of the planet's coral reefs. To anyone who has ever gone snorkeling or scuba diving, the influence of humanity is nowhere as visible as in coastal reefs. The closer a reef is to civilization, the more damaged it is and the more it looks like a wasteland.  Damage to coral reefs is something that jumps out at you. Once you've seen a healthy reef you won't bother going to Florida, or most of Hawaii for that matter. Those are the places where the sparse little fish come to look at all the humans wearing diving gear.

Climate change, overfishing, coastal development, and agricultural run-off are all to blame for damage to the reefs. As soon as the first beach villas go up, all the large fish disappear. The lush growth of coral is replaced by a few patches here and there. To the naive eye an occasional small but colorful reef dweller may look miraculous, but anyone who has gone to healthy reef, with big fish swarming all around you, will know different. Unfortunately, like smog, people adapt and their expectations adjust accordingly.

It is not just beauty that is leaving us, to be replaced by concrete, mega-mansions, artificial lawns, SUV's, motor boats and jet skis. Our very survival may be at stake. As the reefs go, so goes the fish and fish is an important source of protein for much of the world's population. Greenhouse gases like CO2 threaten reefs in two ways. The warmer seas destroy many species and the higher acidity -caused by dissolved CO2- damages even more.

As is usual however, our assault is multi-pronged. Agriculture develops behind the mansions and fertilizer run-off quickly causes algae to bloom. These algae kill off both fish and reefs. Finally, there are the "improvements" in fishing technology. The same "improvements" that allow us to increase our yields, and (temporarily) feed more people. The type of improvements that did away with Monterey's sardines and many other fisheries around the globe.

For many years, coastal people have relied on fishing to survive and thrive. Until they suddenly got access to cheap oil and managed to take fishing to a whole new level. A level that is clearly incompatible with the survival of the fish and the food sources that fish depends on. Big trawlers scoop up all the fish, damage the sea bottom -where food sources for fish are- and thrash coral reefs. The BBC website has a great video showing the destruction of reefs by trawling nets.

It has been estimated that most wild fish stocks will be depleted by mid-century. Some of it will no doubt be replaced by fish farming, but it remains to be seen what the long term viability of fish farms is. Already there are signs that these enterprises accelerate destruction instead of curing it. 

We might be in for a big surprise.