Shifting Gears in a Changing World

The oceans of the world compose a very dynamic and complex system that governs the way everything in the ecosystem of our planet functions. It is an ever-changing and developing world that strives to achieve balance throughout all of its various components. It has been reasonably successful for the last 20 million years. However, in the last few centuries, something called “The Industrial Revolution” awakened a disruptive dragon. In the last two decades, changes throughout the entire ecosystem have occurred that are unimaginable.

The oceans have suffered the most from these unmitigated changes. Eight years ago, a small group recognizing the acute need for action, formed Caribbean Coral Restoration Center, Inc. to support the active restoration of reefs in the island community of Bocas del Toro, Panama.

Using the protocols set forth by active practitioners like David Vaughn of Mote Research Laboratory and Ken Nedimyer of Coral Restoration Foundation, six coral nurseries were established in the inland waters of the archipelago. From 2019 to 2022 just under one hundred thousand new coral clones were outplanted in regional reefs. As part of the program, target areas were selected to create artificial reefs to replace the habitat lost by the disappearing natural coral reefs. These became outplant stations for nursery corals and recovery areas for reestablishing the local fisheries that had become depleted and unsustainable.

It was a great program and the change in ecosystem balance and biodiversity of these areas became increasingly successful. Five Indigenous workers were employed to produce and help build and place artificial reef structures made from environmentally friendly materials. Compositions developed and tested for the specific use of enhancing marine environments were incorporated into the structures. Volunteer dive teams contributed countless hours to help clean and manage the coral nurseries and outplant stations.

Unfortunately, the ocean temperatures continued to rise beyond what many of the ocean organisms could tolerate. A major bleaching event in 2020 affected over half of the coral remaining in the Bocas del Toro waters. There was some recovery but then in 2023, another heat wave caused more losses. By the first quarter of 2024, worldwide heating of the oceans had created losses in the extreme. Coral Restoration companies in the Caribbean basin extending into the coastal waters of Florida suffered severe loss of nursery corals and outplant areas. Only the most resilient and adaptable specimens survived. The natural reefs have been reduced to scattered patches of struggling survivors.

Image taken after 2020 coral bleaching event, by Dr. Cinda Scott

Similar events are occurring in waters throughout the world. Active and experienced practitioners everywhere are in general agreement there was a window of time for intervention to help coral adapt to the predicted climate changes, but that window is now closed. The total focus now is on coral species and genotypes that have survived the onslaught. What is important now is finding and protecting those resilient corals, finding ways to create gene banks to preserve them, and developing technologies to lab-induce spawning to create mass-seeding of resilient, adaptive corals in potential recovery sites. Anything less is excepting the probability of total loss and total restart. It’s the difference between taking 100 years or thousands of years for a new balanced system to develop.

Here in Bocas del Toro, Caribbean Coral Restoration Center, Inc. continues to nurture the genotypes from our nurseries that are showing strong traits of resiliency and adaptability. We have modified our techniques for creating outplant stations and platforms to take advantage of conditions that we have confirmed encourage long-term survival. The species selection has expanded to include stony coral species that are demonstrating not only survivability but resiliency to rising water temperatures. Our on-land nursery is now a closed-system, sterile environment where representative specimens can be kept isolated from predators and disease. These hardy corals will become the breeding stock that eventually spawn in our breeding facility. These growing larvae will go from puberty to placement stage in the nursery. They will then be translocated into the natural and artificial reef environments. This is the strategy now being initiated wherever possible with the hope of refining these emerging technologies to enable the introduction of thousands instead of hundreds of new resilient corals. It is a strategy designed to allow the reefs to eventually save themselves.

Randy and her friend Bob the Cowfish

Wherever the reef environments have been severely compromised, the fisheries have also collapsed to the point where they are not sustainable. The artificial reef program initiated by CCRC has proven to be successful in restoring regional marine biodiversity and fisheries enhancement. With the help of several research and development companies, the materials used to create these reef structures have continuously been modified and upgraded to achieve a low carbon footprint, high density, and improved structural integrity. By using specific formulas approved for ocean environments and designing shapes and textures that attract and benefit marine life, these artificial reefs are quickly helping to mitigate the habitat lost by the degrading natural reef habitats. These artificial, organic-looking structures quickly attract attachment by a huge diversity of marine life and become an ideal setting to encourage the recovery of fisheries and reestablish the amazing biodiversity of reef habitats.

The real truth about any form of marine restoration effort is that unless we wake up and change our behavior and attitude as a species, the future of our entire planet with all its interlocking enviro-systems will be very different than what we can perceive today. We can no longer ignore our responsibility as individuals and societies to respect our limited resources and unite in a common cause of preservation. Awareness is the first step. Acceptance of the truth is next. Action is the step that will create a difference. Your participation can start today. Visit our website and take part in helping to recreate vibrant coral reefs and a fish-friendly tomorrow. www.loveforthesea.com

Article by Doug Marcy
Founder of Caribbean Coral Restoration
September 17, 2024