Time limit set to help environment!

[Hank49]

I understand coral bleaching, but have not witnessed this in this area.

The cot infestations seem to be concentrated on healthy, shallow corals - cots 'no.1 tasty bite' are shallow tables.

I have seen the 'trails' of cots from the deep to shallow table corals. They move quickly (surprisingly so!) to the shallows.

Then they work down the reef to eat everything (dessert) on the way down.
At Rocky Beach (Tampuan, Gensan), the corals and marine life is - more or less - as it ought to be. It has the natural predators there that are alleged to eat cots.

But, still they come. Why?

Again, more research into this needs to be undertaken. And, we honestly respect to you for your knowledge.

In the meantime, we place ourselves in the firing line of others who regard cot outbreaks as 'natural'. I accept this.

Respect.

"Healthy coral" is a term that needs to be defined. What may appear healthy could in fact be stressed with limited ability to fend off other stresses and or have a breakdown of its normal defense mechanisms (enzyme production for example). I'm sure there is very little work published on this as there are many species with different tolerance levels etc etc.

A case in point. I grow shrimp...shrimp larvae to be exact, by the millions. If I showed you some baby shrimp in a bowl, I'm sure you would determine that they appear healthy. However, using microscope observations and environmental stress tests such as salinity shock, it can be determined that these baby shrimp are NOT really healthy as compared to other populations of the same age, species etc. This could very well be the case with your table corals.

Not every single coral head was bleached on Boracay's west side in 99 but the cots pretty much consumed everything. Because what killed most, almost certainly stressed the others to some point, allowing the full on invasion to occur.

 

[Hank49]

Bleaching is the coral's response to high temperature. I'm not sure what happens in the presence of low level pesticides or other fertilizer runoffs.

 

[Gen San Chris]

Wow, Did I or did I not open a can of worms here! Its very interesting to see the comments about Crown of Thorns and Coral Bleaching! Anyway, we have Crown of Thorns here and we will remove them in an attempt to preserve our corals as thats all we know, we will not sit back and let them eat the marine environment and apart from that we enjoy getting them as ita a really good test of your buoyancy skills and fun also!
If your feeling sad and blue, Kill a Crown of Thorns or two! Do you like my poetry?

 

[Hank49]

I'll come and terminate a few cots there but you have to reciprocate and come here and kill some lionfish, which unlike the COT, is NOT natural to these waters. Part of the reason I'm into this discussion with you about cots is because your thinking follows no logic and I'm curious to see if your sig line is merely a joke...because it makes no sense. The lionfish will have just as bad an impact on the reef system here as Cots, or even worse.

 

[CODMAN]

I'll come and terminate a few cots there but you have to reciprocate and come here and kill some lionfish, which unlike the COT, is NOT natural to these waters. Part of the reason I'm into this discussion with you about cots is because your thinking follows no logic and I'm curious to see if your sig line is merely a joke...because it makes no sense. The lionfish will have just as bad an impact on the reef system here as Cots, or even worse.

Probably worse Hank, since there are no know natural predators for Lionfish in the Atlantic.. Then again, nature might surprise us and something on our reefs will decide it likes lionfish (other than humans). Time will tell because it's here to stay...

Cheers!

 

[Gen San Chris]

Hi Hank,
I like lion fish, thats why I try to help them, not because they are a beautiful fish but I am sure that there are natural preditors for them somewhere there! Moray eels take lots of them and the babies get eaten all the time!
You got them now and I hope that nature will find a balance with them as it has here and I am sure that there will be lots of divers feeling their sting if a kind of open season or bounty is put on them the same that happens her with Crown of Thorns!
These discussions keep the world healthy and I like to give my opinion on some matters!
Maybe I am not logical but I enjoy myself!
Have a nice day AND>>>>>

 

[World Wide Diver]

"Healthy coral" is a term that needs to be defined.

I agree. But, we observe that the coral which has cots removed does regenerate more quickly than coral allowed to be devoured.

There is a reef in the Davao Gulf which was very good, but got eaten by cots 2 years ago - looked like the surface of the moon. Not one cot was removed. We dived there a few months ago and nothing much (if anything) seems to have improved in almost 2 years. In two years, we have seen other reefs grow incredible corals.

Therefore, maybe the definition of a healthy reef should be about the reefs ability to defend itself from cots and other such destructive organisms AND its ability to regenerate from such infestations.

There is a wider and very important issue here regading coral 'seed banks'. These reefs act to replenish damaged reefs with new coral and marine life. We have a very important reef here (Davao Gulf) that is in the process of being protected and declared an MPA. FI, this reef is way outside tourism diving and in an area known to very few.

Maybe we should concentrate all our limited efforts on identifying and protecting these seed banks if we are to help reefs to regenerate from bleaching and cot events?