Words will not do justice to describe
the amazing experiences I have had over
the past 3 months on the Crossing. From
exploring remote reefs that were
essentially untouched by humans to those
highly impacted by both local and
commercial fishing operations, I was
able to observe the underwater world in
a way that one only dreams about. The
most memorable experiences for me will
be all the encounters with the beautiful
creatures of the deep. To be able to
swim with turtles, dolphins, whales,
sharks, manta rays and just about every
type of fish imaginable is an experience
that provokes a feeling of oneness with
nature and leaves permanent memories
etched in the mind. |
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We surveyed reefs that were devastated
by the El Niño associated bleaching
event of 1998. We have generated a
valuable baseline from which future
surveys can use to determine the extent
or lack of recovery of hard corals on
the reefs. Many of the locations we
surveyed had less than 10% live coral
cover as a result of the bleaching
event. An interesting observation that
we noted and recorded in a scientific
manner has to do with the association
between fish and living coral. Despite
the lack of live coral in many locations
we visited, fish were highly abundant
and species diversity was extremely
high. Perhaps the fish and other
organisms on the reef are not as
dependent on living coral as was
previously thought. The habitat created
by the coral (cracks and crevices etc.)
may be the key factor to the diversity
of life on the reef.
This is not to suggest that we can
forget about the corals, but these
observations may be able to provide
insight into new ways to help restore
reefs that have been seriously degraded
by both natural processes and
anthropogenic activities. The surveys
preformed off the Crossing during the
last three months have filled large
holes in the Reef Check database and
will be instrumental to help us monitor
the status of reefs around the world.
In addition to data collection, we were
able to discuss conservation issues with
local marine agencies, fishermen, and
tourist dive operations. We have
successfully trained a team of new Reef
Check volunteers that will contribute
data to our worldwide database on a
regular basis. This new Reef Check team
is a direct result of the Crossing
visiting that location. The Crossing is
an enormous contribution to our
knowledge regarding the state of reefs
around the world and I look forward to
the opportunity to conduct many more
surveys in the future. My sincere thanks
to Captain Daly, the cook and the crew
of the Crossing for all their help in
the field and the crash course in Aussie
humor. I would also like to thank Naomi
Black for logistical support and Kirk
Willcox, Bruce Raymond and Gregor
Hodgson for making Reef Check a reality
on the Crossing.
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