Coral Reefs

Jennifer Colucci

Ms. Asuncion

English 9 Honors, Block 6

29 October 2015

Coral Reefs

Many scientists and government officials are constantly arguing over the protection of coral reefs. Many reefs are being destroyed due to overfishing, boating, pollution, and human activity. Should coral reefs be protected even more? Coral reefs are a ridge of rock in the sea formed by the growth and deposit of coral. Coral is actually an animal in the cnidarian Phylum. The reason they live in reefs is because they are sessile animals meaning they are immobile. There are about 6,000 known species of corals some being Brain coral, Fan coral, and Elkhorn coral. The largest coral reef on the planet is the Great Barrier Reef. It is 1,553 miles long and located in the Coral Sea in Australia. The second largest reef is the Red Sea Coral Reef reaching about 1,180 miles long and located in the Red Sea near Israel.

Corals reefs are important for a few reasons. Coral reefs are home to over 5,000 species of fish. This means fish go to the reefs to have babies. If there is no coral they can not lay their eggs and they could become extinct. Coral reefs also play a big role in controlling the carbon dioxide levels in the water. Each of the coral polyps take the carbon dioxide from the water and turn it into limestone. Carbon dioxide levels rise if it were  not for coral reefs and it could put all living things and risks. One other reason coral reefs are in need of protection is because they help control the waters.  They slow down any strong currents before they hit the coast. This is why they’re called barrier reefs.

Multiple governmental protection agencies were created in order to help preserve coral reefs. One of the main agencies is the United States Coral Reef Task Force or USCRFT for short. It was established in 1998 by the executive office in order to maintain protection. The USCRTF adopted the National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs in 2000. This was the first legal document to state the growing coral reef crisis (National Action Plan). Another way the government has helped protect coral reefs is by creating marine protected areas, or MPA's. They act as safe houses for aquatic animals. They also allow scientists to do research and collect data on the coral and the organisms that live in the reef. There are over 1,600 MPA’s in the US alone,  such as the Great Lakes, Central Jennifer Colucci Ms. Asuncion English 9 Honors, Block 6 29 October 2015 Coral Reefs Many scientists and government officials are constantly arguing over the protection of coral reefs. Many reefs are being destroyed due to overfishing, boating, pollution, and human activity. Should coral reefs be protected even more? Coral reefs are a ridge of rock in the sea formed by the growth and deposit of coral. Coral is actually an animal in the cnidarian Phylum. The reason they live in reefs is because they are sessile animals meaning they are immobile. There are about 6,000 known species of corals some being Brain coral, Fan coral, and Elkhorn coral. The largest coral reef on the planet is the Great Barrier Reef. It is 1,553 miles long and located in the Coral Sea in Australia. The second largest reef is the Red Sea Coral Reef reaching about 1,180 miles long and located in the Red Sea near Israel. Corals reefs are important for a few reasons. Coral reefs are home to over 5,000 species of fish. This means fish go to the reefs to have babies. If there is no coral they can not lay their eggs and they could become extinct. Coral reefs also play a big role in controlling the carbon dioxide levels in the water. Each of the coral polyps take the carbon dioxide from the water and turn it into limestone. Carbon dioxide levels rise if it were not for coral reefs and it could put all living things and risks. One other reason coral reefs are in need of protection is because they help control the waters. They slow down any strong currents before they hit the coast. This is why they’re called barrier reefs. Multiple governmental protection agencies were created in order to help preserve coral reefs. One of the main agencies is the United States Coral Reef Task Force or USCRFT for short. It was established in 1998 by the executive office in order to maintain protection. The USCRTF adopted the National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs in 2000. This was the first legal document to state the growing coral reef crisis (National Action Plan). Another way the government has helped protect coral reefs is by creating marine protected areas, or MPA's. They act as safe houses for aquatic animals. They also allow scientists to do research and collect data on the coral and the organisms that live in the reef. There are over 1,600 MPA’s in the US alone, such as the Great Lakes, Central California, Florida Keys, and Thunder Bay. Although the government has quite a handle on the problem, that alone is not enough. We still need everyone’s help to protect the environment. A big help would be to prevent chemical and sediment runoff. Chemical or sediment runoff is basically another word for pollution and it is having a horrible effect on coral reefs. Pollution causes coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is when the zooxanthellae inside the polyp dies. The algae will leave the coral and as it leaves the coral loses its beautiful colors. This automatically slows down reproduction because the coral polyp does not have any food. The last and most important thing you can do to help save our coral reefs is volunteer. Volunteer for a coral reef clean up at your local beach or marine park. Coral reefs need more protection. It is our job to do whatever we can to keep our earth healthy.