KoraAnnoation7

Hodgson, Gregor; Liebeler, Jennifer (2002) “THE GLOBAL CORAL REEF CRISIS” < [] >

Reef Check is non-profit organization dedicated to empowering people to save our reefs and oceans. Dr. Gregor Hodgson started this organization in 1996. Hodgson is the Vice President at Parker Smith and Feek, which is a insurance brokerage firm. Liebeler is an oceanographer and environmentalist. Global reefs are in crisis. Whether it’s from Recreational or Commercial Reef Fisheries something bad is happening. Reef check helps survey changes in coral reefs due to the effects of humans. They survey outer slopes of exposed reefs that were considered to be the healthiest sites in their area. The volunteers are required to complete a site description, and a fish survey. Reef check has surveyed and helped 1107 reefs around the world. Their studies have shown much data about reef fish and invertebrates. They’ve also shown that coral coverage is only 32%.

“ The goal of Reef Check monitoring is to detect ecologically and statistically significant changes on coral reefs that are caused by human activities ”

“ Nowhere is the problem of shifting baselines greater than for coral reefs. During my thirty-year career, I have watched every coral reef ecosystem I have studied change almost unrecognizably from the way it used to be. ”

“ The problems are the usual list of overfishing, pollution, introduced species, and global climate change. ”

I might use these in my report:

Pollution and sedimentation have been affecting coral reefs since the 1940’s.

Restaurants with the reef fish in tanks that can be publically viewed affect reefs.