Save our coral
Protect spectacular Gulf of Mexico reefs from bottom-tending fishing.
Reefs of blue, green, pink and black corals shaped like whips, bushes and fans populate the landscape of the ocean floor in the BBC blockbuster show Blue Planet II, and spoiler alert, one of the heartbreaks of the series is watching these colorful reefs turn a pallid shade of white and die.
Man has devised plenty of unfortunate ways to kills these reefs: climate change, pollution, trawling, and offshore drilling. As a result, about half the shallow water reefs on the planet are gone. The mysterious reefs of the deep ocean, which thrive in limited light, are under threat as well.
Some of those deep sea reefs can be found close to home, in the Gulf of Mexico. Preserving our spectacular marine heritage is a tough task given the extensive maritime, petroleum and seafood industries that nature often finds so taxing. However, a newly announced and longoverdue plan by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council takes a reasonable step forward.
The plan seeks to protect 21 sites, covering 484 square miles, from trawling — massive drag nets that can threaten ocean ecosystems. To put this in perspective, the Gulf of Mexico basin contains more than 600,000 square miles of ocean floor that is trawled at high frequencies. As a further limitation, only 13 of the 21 sites would receive protection from fishing.
The U.S. Department of Commerce should approve this wellconsidered plan post haste. It just takes a few seconds for a fishing trawl to wreak havoc on a coral reef that took centuries to grow.
“Viewing footage of these sites it is unfortunately common to come across abandoned longlines draped across the reefs and trawlers act like plows cutting down everything in their paths. It is painful to see,” Larry McKinney, executive director of Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi told the editorial board.
Despite the risk to our marine heritage, some commercial fishermen view the plan as regulatory overreach. Buddy Guindon, who owns Katie’s Seafood Market, told Chronicle reporter Alex Stuckey that these restrictions, if approved, would impact the fishing of various types of grouper, snapper and Amberjack, among others. He added that it’s becoming harder and harder for people to make a living in the fishing business.
It’s understandable that commercial fishermen might bridle under new restrictions that could complicate their day-to-day lives. But one reason it’s harder for fishermen to make a living is habitat destruction. Coral provides refuge for many commercially and recreationally valuable types of fish, as well as sharks, starfish, squat lobsters, crabs, and other sea life. Healthier reefs mean bigger catches for fishermen in the long haul.
Even at the 13 reef sites protected from fishing, the prohibition wouldn’t be absolute. Fishing gear, such as traps, anchors, longlines, and trawls, would be restricted from use because they can break or smother coral. But hook-in-line fishing still would be allowed.
Coral reefs shouldn’t survive only on beautiful nature shows. Our children and grandchildren deserve the opportunity to see these fascinating undersea jungles alive and thriving on the ocean floor. The federal government must act quickly to help preserve them before they’re lost forever.