Biological oceanographer Dr. Chris Langdon (University of Miami) tells us that about 25% of all fish life in the ocean spends some part of its life cycle in a coral reef. He believes that it's important for people to realise that seafood doesn't just come from the store, but that it originates from healthy ocean environments, and we need to take care of them.

The Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located off Saint John, Virgin Islands.

The clear waters surrounding Saint John support a diverse and complex system of coral reefs. The health of these reefs is closely tied to its component plants and animals as well as adjacent non-coral marine environments such as sandy bottoms, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests.

Seeking to provide greater protection to the sensitive coral reef resources, President Clinton established the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument on January 17, 2001. The monument includes 12,708 acres (51 km²) of federal submerged lands within the 3 mile (5 km) belt off Saint John, including Hurricane Hole and areas north and south of Saint John.

The coral reefs of the U.S. Virgin Islands suffered severely from coral bleaching in 2005, which led to a 60 % decline in coral activity. The USGS began extensive research in the area and scientists discovered previously unknown coral ecosystems at the submerged stems of mangrove trees in the Hurricane Hole area of the National Monument.

They found about 30 of the 45 coral species in the Virgin Islands, which is an astonishing diversity for the small area, and were surprised by the number of sponge species as well. This is the first known occurrence of corals in a mangrove ecosystem.

The Mesoamerican Reef is the two largest barrier reef in the Atlantic.  

The Mesoamerican Reef is so large, diverse, and pristine that it has been called the "jewel" of the Caribbean...and I call it "the scuba divers dream". This natural wonder stretches for 450 miles (720 km) through clear waters and is home to a high diversity of species and a popular scuba diving destination.

Compared to many parts of the Caribbean, the Mesoamerican Reef remains relatively intact. It is closely linked to coastal wetlands, lagoons, sea grass beds, and mangrove islands. This network of habitats supports nearly 60 coral, 350 mollusk, and 500 fish species. In addition, the ecoregion contains important examples of coral and lagoon formations called atolls, which are reefs built on sunken islands. But unlike atolls in the Pacific, these islands are not volcanic in origin.

Hawksbill, green, and threatened loggerhead turtles nest on cays (small islands, pronounced "keys") and on the mainland. Several hundred threatened manatees, the largest population in Central America, graze on sea grass and find shelter in lagoons and mangroves. American crocodiles swim about, along with wide-ranging bull, nurse, reef, and hammerhead sharks. Stingrays, including the southern, cownose, and yellow species, swim among the coral, while green moray eels hide in crevices and schools of small fish watch out for barracudas and other large predators. Rainbow parrotfish live in caves and scrape algae and polyps from coral. Some angelfish use the reefs as cover at night. Magnificent frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, brown pelicans, and olivaceous cormorants fill the air.

Tourism, coastal development, overfishing, and oil spills are serious problems. Agriculture spurs deforestation, soil erosion, and siltation of marine habitats, while herbicides and fertilizers cause pollution. Global warming causes bleaching of reefs.

 Looking Ahead 

The future of this World Heritage Site looks promising, given its nearly pristine condition compared with many reefs in other parts of the Caribbean. However, threats from pollution, such as oil spills and sedimentation, and overfishing are likely to increase, putting more pressure on the biodiversity in the ecoregion.

WWF’s strategy has been to work with Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico to manage the entire reef as a single ecosystem. A plan for managing the ecoregion was developed and approved by the four governments, and they have agreed to work with WWF and local conservation groups to strengthen the regional system of protected areas, manage regional fisheries, and conserve key species and habitats. Funding to support implementation of the management plan will come from the Global Environment Facility.

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The life-sustaining natural systems in the region of Palau have reached a critical tipping point that calls for immediate action and long-term support. If this call goes unheard, Micronesian island people will see continued damage to their natural diversity, to their way of life, and to their ability to provide for themselves and their families.

But these island communities are up to the challenge. They have demonstrated tremendous resolve and an ability to make rapid progress when provided with the resources and tools necessary to tackle their problems.

In 2006 a Challenge was launched which is is an ambitious commitment by Micronesian governments to strike a critical balance between the need to use their natural resources today and the need to sustain those resources for future generations.

The Micronesia Challenge is a commitment by the Chief Executives of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands to effectively conserve at least 30% of the near-shore marine resources and 20% of the terrestrial resources across Micronesia by 2020. Covering 6.7 million square kilometers of ocean, the Micronesia Challenge represents more than 20% of the Pacific island region and 5% of the largest ocean in the world.

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ScienceDaily (Jan. 4, 2011) — The epic ocean-spanning journeys of the gigantic leatherback turtle in the South Atlantic have been revealed for the first time thanks to groundbreaking research using satellite tracking.

Experts at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation (Cornwall) at the University of Exeter led a five-year study to find out more about these increasingly rare creatures and inform conservation efforts.

The research, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, has shed new light on the little-known migration behaviour of these animals -- following their movement from the world's largest breeding colony in Gabon, Central Africa, as they returned to feeding grounds across the South Atlantic.

The research has been carried out with the help of Parcs Gabon, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), PTMG (Marine Turtle Partnership for Gabon), the Trans-Atlantic Leatherback Conservation Initiative (TALCIN) -- a multi-partner effort coordinated by WWF, and SEATURTLE.org

Out of 25 females studied in the new research, three migratory routes were identified -- including one 7,563km (4,699 mile) journey straight across the South Atlantic from Africa to South America.

Other routes still involved large distances, as they moved from Gabon to food-rich habitats in the southwest and southeast Atlantic and off the coast of Central Africa. They will stay in these areas for 2-5 years to build up the reserves to reproduce, when they will return to Gabon once again.

Dr Matthew Witt said: "Despite extensive research carried out on leatherbacks, no-one has really been sure about the journeys they take in the South Atlantic until now. What we've shown is that there are three clear migration routes as they head back to feeding grounds after breeding in Gabon, although the numbers adopting each strategy varied each year. We don't know what influences that choice yet, but we do know these are truly remarkable journeys -- with one female tracked for thousands of miles travelling in a straight line right across the Atlantic."

In the Pacific ocean, leatherback turtles have seen a precipitous decline over the past three decades -- with one nesting colony in Mexico declining from 70,000 in 1982 to just 250 by 1998-9*. The exact cause of the dramatic fall-off in numbers is not clear, but turtle egg harvesting, coastal gillnet fishing, and longline fishing have been identified as potential factors.

In the Atlantic, population levels have been more robust but, due to variations in numbers at nesting sites each year, it's not clear whether they are in decline. Conservationists are keen to take action now to avoid a repeat of the Pacific story.

Dr Brendan Godley said the new research would be vital for informing this conservation strategy: "All of the routes we've identified take the leatherbacks through areas of high risk from fisheries, so there's a very real danger to the Atlantic population. Knowing the routes has also helped us identify at least 11 nations who should be involved in conservation efforts, as well as those with long-distance fishing fleets. There's a concern that the turtles we tracked spent a long time on the High Seas, where it's very difficult to implement and manage conservation efforts, but hopefully this research will help inform future efforts to safeguard these fantastic creatures."

Dr. Howard Rosenbaum, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Ocean Giants Program, said: "This important work shows that protecting leatherback turtles -- the ancient mariners of our oceans -- requires research and conservation on important nesting beaches, foraging areas and important areas of the high seas. Armed with a better understanding of migration patterns and preferences for particular areas of the ocean, the conservation community can now work toward protecting leatherbacks at sea, which has been previously difficult."

The research was carried out with the financial support of a range of donors, including the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC, UK), the Darwin Initiative, the Large Pelagics Research Center (LPRC, USA) Competitive Grants Program, and the European Association of Zoos & Aquaria (EAZA) Shellshock Campaign.

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WASHINGTON (Jan. 5, 2011) — Humane Society International, The Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Legislative Fund applaud President Barack Obama for signing an important bipartisan bill that will increase protection for sharks from the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning—cutting the fins off a shark and tossing the mutilated live animal back into the ocean to die.

The Shark Conservation Act—introduced by Reps. Madeleine Bordallo, D-Guam, Eni Faleomavaega, D-American Samoa, and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.—requires that sharks be landed with their fins still naturally attached, the only sure way to enforce a ban on finning. H.R. 81 will strengthen the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000 that has been difficult to enforce, closing a loophole in that law that unintentionally allowed vessels to transport fins obtained illegally as long as the sharks were not finned aboard that vessel. Many fisheries target sharks for their valuable fins, which are sold for shark fin soup.

“Cutting off sharks’ fins and tossing their live bodies back into the sea is terribly cruel. It’s also a major factor in the severe decline of sharks worldwide and the associated devastating impact on other species in the ocean ecosystem,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS. “Up to 73 million sharks are killed this way each year, just for shark fin soup. The Shark Conservation Act will make the U.S. ban on shark finning more enforceable and strengthen our hand in international negotiations. We thank President Obama for taking this important step forward in conservation and animal protection.”

Along with praising President Obama and the legislation’s prime sponsors, the groups extend their thanks to Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Ranking Republican Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, whose leadership on the Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation were instrumental in guiding the bill to Senate passage.

The groups also thank House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings, R-Wash., and Subcommittee Ranking Member Henry Brown, R-S.C., who worked with Subcommittee Chairwoman Bordallo to bring the bill forward in the House, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who helped ensure timely approval of this legislation before Congress adjourned, and other Senate cosponsors of the bill including Sen. David Vitter, R-La.

In July 2008, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration instituted regulations requiring that sharks be landed with their fins attached, but these regulations applied only to U.S. fisheries in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico, not the Pacific. The Shark Conservation Act will bring the Pacific fisheries into line with the rest of the country’s fins-attached policy, and strengthen the U.S. position in international shark conservation efforts.

Facts

H.R. 81, introduced by Rep. Madeleine Bordallo, D-Guam, had the bipartisan support of 30 cosponsors and passed the House by voice vote with an amendment offered by Rep. Eni Faleomavaega, D-American Samoa, on March 2, 2009.
S. 850, introduced by Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., had the bipartisan support of 33 cosponsors.
H.R. 81, with Senate amendments, passed the Senate by unanimous consent on December 20, 2010, and the House by voice vote on December 21, 2010, and was signed into law on January 4, 2011.

Up to 73 million sharks are killed each year in targeted fisheries and as bycatch. Shark finning is a major cause of massive declines in shark populations around the world, since retaining only the fins allows fishing operations to kill many more sharks at a time (filling their onboard freezers with just the fins while dumping the bodies overboard).
When sharks’ fins are cut off and their live bodies are thrown back into the water, the animals suffer a gruesome end, bleeding to death, suffocating because they can’t swim, or being eaten by other sharks.

As top predators, sharks play an important role in maintaining ecosystem balance. The killing of large numbers of sharks already appears to be affecting other marine species and commercial fisheries. When shark stocks are depleted, their natural prey proliferate and can have a devastating impact on the species they feed on – for example, fewer sharks mean more skates and rays, who in turn have taken a large bite out of scallop and other shellfish populations.

A national fins-attached policy will provide for improved conservation and management of steeply declining shark populations. It is often impossible to identify a shark species solely by looking at its fins, so landing sharks with fins attached is crucial for tracking which species are caught.

The Senate amendments include an exemption for smooth dogfish sharks, which are typically caught along the East Coast primarily for their meat. The exemption will put the onus on that fishery to ensure that no fins from any other species are included in smooth dogfish landings.

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