Coral bleaching ‘worst’
A RETIRED marine biologist claims coral bleaching off Magnetic Island is the worst he has seen in 50 years.
Magnetic Island resident Leon Zann filmed clusters of coral bleached white while diving on the Geoffrey Bay snorkel trail on February 16 and 17.
He noted the water was unusually clear and above 30C.
Dr Zann said the bleaching was worse than the last major bleaching in 2017, which affected large parts of the Great Barrier Reef.
“My major concerns is some of the really old corals, some of these could be two metres across, and could be 50, 100 to 150 years old were badly bleached,” he said.
Dr Zann said the bleaching had been predicted over the past month or two, with higher than usual sea surface temperatures recorded across the Great Barrier Reef.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows heat stress was likely to cause significant coral bleaching around Townsville.
James Cook University PHD student and Magnetic Island resident Blanche D’anastasi said the bleaching off the island was widespread.
“It’s not just the bleaching susceptible corals being bleached,” she said.
She noticed hard and soft coral varieties had been bleached around the Moltke wreck at Geoffrey Bay and the reef edge off Nelly Bay while diving on February 12.
Ms D’anastasi said hotter than average water temperatures was the main cause of the bleaching, and had also resulted in more irukandji stingers around the island.
“It’s uncomfortably hot. It feels like you’re in the bath,” she said.
Water temperatures in Cleveland Bay have been above 30C for much of February, 1.5C above the average.
Ms D’anastasi said the “ocean is on fire” and corals could not cope with the warmer than usual temperatures, which could threaten reefs.
“We are within days of the next major coral bleaching. As a coral reef scientist it is terrifying each time it happens,” she said.
Ms D’anastasi said industry in Australia needed to turn to renewable resources to slow global warming. People can report bleaching on the Eye on the Reef app.
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