Tokoriki Diving, Fiji: Tokoriki Diving: Blue Coral (Heliopora Coerulea) Discovery

Blue Coral (Heliopora Coerulea) Discovery

Tokoriki Diving, Fiji: Tokoriki Diving: Blue Coral (Heliopora Coerulea) Discovery

We are always looking for new Dive Sites particularly when we have divers who are doing a lot of dives with us. When you are looking for a dive site the tendency is always to go further out and sometimes you overlook the little gems right on your doorstep. On the way to the Outer Barrier reef, but only four minutes from Tokoriki we crossed a little patch reef covered in coral. The next day we went straight out and dived this site and were astounded by the extent of hard coral cover. Over the next few weeks we got to know the site and decided because of its evident good health but also its proximity to Tokoriki to include it as one of the three dives chosen for the Reef Check program. During one of the Reef Check dives our good friend Marine Biologist Di Walker got very excited, after lots of gesticulating and scribbling on slates we realised that she had found something pretty special…

Press Release (2004) Di Walker; Project Manager, Mamanuca Environment Society

“Upon a recent Reef Check survey Dive in the Mamanuca Islands just West of the Main Island of Viti Levu in Fiji, I happened to chance upon the Blue coral, Heliopora coerulea growing in a section of the patch reef that was being surveyed. Having dived the Mamanuca Islands extensively and never having observed the coral I was very much of the same opinion of most experts that this coral just did not exist in Fiji.

“Low Isles on the northern Great Barrier Reef probably represent the southern–most reported presence of Heliopora and American Samoa the eastern-most, with a line being drawn at the Island of Rotuma for distribution of the coral into Fiji. Experts have declared this coral extinct in Fiji with no recent observations having been made of the coral being alive. Reports made in 1985 consider the presence of the coral in Fiji doubtful as it was not recorded in beach sediments or coral assemblages studied inand around the Fiji Islands. The study also declared that the genus was formerly present in Fiji since Heliopora fijiensis was named by Hoffmeister (1945) from Miocene deposits on the Fiji Island chain of Lau.

“The patch reef that the Heliopora coerulea was observedgrowing on was very intact. A large massive porites colonymeasuring 5m by 5m was observed close to the growth site as were numerous unusually large Giant clams (Tridacna Squamosa) with the shell measuring over 70cm in length. Although this site is surrounded by a resort and could be frequently used by the two neighbouring island villages for fishing and collection of invertebrates, it appears to be relatively untouched. The colonies of Blue Coral were small with maximum height of 20cm and width of about 40cm. There were many colonies observed but only on a small section of the reef. This does raise the question of whether these colonies are ancient relics, due to the obvious intact state of the reef or new invaders to the group due to their small colony size.

“This Coral, also commonly known as Blue Ridge Coral, is used in other islands where it is commonly found for jewellery and also in the aquarium trade due to its’ unusual Sky Blue skeleton. The Skeleton is made of aragonite deposits and the Coral closely related to the Octocoral family which means the polyps have eight tentacles. It produces a hard skeleton unlike most other ‘octocorals’ and it is a tawny brown colour on the outside.”
Blue Coral Reef lies about four minutes from Tokoriki Island Resort and is suitable for divers of all abilities. Please also check our Dive Sites Map for our Blue Coral dive site location.


Tokoriki Diving, Fiji: Tokoriki Diving: Blue Coral (Heliopora Coerulea) Discovery

Tokoriki Diving, Fiji: Tokoriki Diving: Artificial Reefs

Tokoriki Diving, Fiji: Tokoriki Diving: Artificial Reefs

On Tokoriki Wall, our Home Reef and favourite beginner and night dive site, we have placed various handmade fish houses. These stone/cement structures are still young but are being colonized fast by various species of coral, algae and other organisms.

According to the University of Florida paper on artificial reefs: “Artificial reef materials provide a hard stable surface to which natural, local organisms, such as barnacles and algae, attach and grow. The encrusting plants and animals, in turn, serve as food and shelter for fish and other marine life, initiating an integrated marine ecosystem. …Artificial reefs provide new communities a location on which to establish themselves and prosper.”
Check our Dive Sites Map for locations of our Artificial reefs


Tokoriki Diving, Fiji: Tokoriki Diving: Artificial Reefs

DISCOVER FIJI Scuba Travel Package

DISCOVER FIJI Scuba Travel

By Geri Murphy

Though known to many as just another one of those tiny countries on the other side of the globe, Fiji is actually an island paradise where fragrant flowers abound and azure waters grace some of the world's most beautiful palm-fringed beaches. Fiji also is a unique dive destination that features a wide array of topside and underwater adventures

World's Most Colorful Reefs:
Fiji's undersea fields of soft coral are legendary among traveling divers. Nowhere else will you find such vibrant colors and such a wide range of hues. Delicate hard coral formations are carpeted with pastel shades of lavender and lemon, punctuated by bright splashes of crimson red, juicy orange and royal purple. The reefs are a kaleidoscope of splendid colors and shapes.

Extraordinary Marine Life:
Fiji's Indo-Pacific species are nothing like the familiar fish of North America and the Caribbean. The exotic forms and brilliant colors of these precious tropicals amaze first-time visitors. Apricot-colored Clownfish and electric blue eels dance before your facemask in a carnival atmosphere."

Fiji Scuba Diving - About Scuba Diving in Fiji

Fiji Scuba Diving - About Scuba Diving in Fiji

Fiji Scuba Diving Information

Fiji is famous for its beautiful terrain, tranquil sunsets, clear waters, and it's rainbow medley of soft coral. This tropical paradise has rightfully earned the nickname: 'Soft Coral Capital of the World'. No wonder snorkeling and scuba diving are popular throughout Fiji.

While diving Fiji, you'll discover over four hundred species of coral. The most famous being Dendronepthya Klunzingeri, which comes in a kaleidoscope of colors. The coral is found on reefs with moderate to strong currents and at deeper depths. With over 330 islands and 76,000 square miles of ocean, there's an abundance of coral environments for your enjoyment. You'll find drop-offs, swim-throughs, fissures, coral gardens, and the spine and groove type reefs."

Fiji - Scuba Diving Magazine

"Brilliant soft corals may be Fiji's signature dive attraction, but there's much more to the underwater story here. With more than 320 islands to choose from, divers never run out of options. The largest island of Viti Levu offers easy access to the widest range of sites (including the world-famous Beqa Lagoon and the shark encounters off Pacific Harbour) and has the most extensive diving infrastructure. Vanua Levu and Taveuni, to the north, feature otherworldly walls of snowy soft coral. And the smaller islands of the Yasawas, the Lau Group, the Mamanucas, the Lomaivitis and Kadavu each have a distinct underwater appeal. Acres of plate and staghorn corals have colonized the Yasawas and Mamanucas, considered to have some of the best vis in all Fiji. The bommies off the outer Lomaivitis are known for pelagics drawn to their shoals of baitfish, and the Great Astrolabe Reef of Kadavu is a top spot for big animal encounters."

CORAL Unveils Sustainable Marine Tourism Standards

Ocean Vacations That Don’t Hurt: Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) Releases First Regional Sustainable Marine Tourism Business Standards

The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) today announced the release of their “Voluntary Standards for Marine Recreation in the Mesoamerican Reef System.” This guide provides marine tourism businesses, bulk purchasers of visitor excursions, and tourists with tested standards that will prevent recreational overuse and misuse of coral reefs.

“These are the first set of marine tourism standards to apply to an entire region. The Mesoamerican Reef is a single ecosystem spanning four countries: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. CORAL involved every group that uses this reef in the creation of these standards and then field tested their efficacy,” says CORAL Program Director Rick MacPherson. “These standards are affordable, attainable, and effective.”

In areas of high volume tourism, such as Mesoamerica, repeated direct contact with the reef poses an immediate threat. Hundreds of boat groundings and hundreds of thousands of tourist interactions each year reduce sections of coral reef to rubble. Human contact also reduces coral’s resilience to other stressors such as rising sea temperatures and diseases.

Sergio Rivera Environmental Manager for Scubacaribe in Playa del Carmen, Mexico says, “Since our dive shop has been involved in the standards project, my staff has become more environmentally and safety conscious. Now we provide environmental briefings before every dive and equip every BCD [the inflatable jacket a diver wears] with sound devices to ensure location of divers who get separated from the group.”

The standards provide detailed requirements for environmentally friendly and safety conscious marine tourism businesses in the areas of diving, snorkeling, and boating and can be used by a variety of different groups such as:

• Concerned tourists to help them choose sustainable and safe marine excursions
• Marine Tourism Businesses to evaluate their own practices
• Non Governmental Organizations and Governments as a basis for creating standards in their area
• Bulk purchasers such as cruise ships to select sustainable and safe business partners

Hearing of CORAL’s success in Mesoamerica, government and business groups in Maui, Hawaii have also engaged CORAL to develop similar standards.

With over 11 years of field experience, Coral Reef Alliance is a non profit organization dedicated to protecting the health of coral reefs by uniting ecosystem management, sustainable tourism, and community partnerships. Find out more at www.coral.org.

To obtain your copy of the standards: Download from www.coral.org or contact Eileen Weckerle eweckerle@coral.org / 888-CORAL-REEF x315.

Red and Pink Corals Get U.N. Trade Protection

June 14, 2007 - By Alister Doyle, Reuters

THE HAGUE -- Trade in red and pink corals prized as jewellery for 5,000
years will be restricted to try to help the species recover after drastic
over-exploitation, a U.N. wildlife conference agreed on Wednesday.

Countries at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES) voted 62 to 28 to start regulating export of corals, now harvested
mainly in the Mediterranean and Western Pacific in a business worth millions
of dollars.

"Regulation of trade is necessary to ensure they do not become threatened
with extinction," said Andrew Bruckner, a U.S. official who authored the
proposal at the June 3-15 talks. He said that current harvesting was
depleting stocks.

Necklaces made of the red and pink corals, collectively known as Corallium,
can cost up to $20,000. Many other species of coral are already protected by
CITES.

"Corallium, the most valuable of the precious corals, has been fished for
over 5,000 years," the U.S. proposal said, adding that millions of items and
thousands of kilos (pounds) a year were traded internationally.

The decision, imposing restrictions on international trade, will take effect
in 18 months' time partly because of worries by southern European producers
that they would need time to adapt to new trade rules.

Over-harvesting and other threats including pollution, trawling of the
seabed by fishing vessels and global warming are among threats to the
corals, found from the tropics to temperate waters.

Conservationists hailed the decision.

"This is the best possible decision to start getting the trade in these
corals under some form of international control," said Ernie Cooper, a coral
trade expert from TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network.

Seaweb, a conservation group, also applauded the decision and said that raw
red coral sold for $100 to $900 per kg at auction. It said the Italian town
of Torre del Greco, a centre of the trade, made coral profits of $174
million in 1999 alone.

CITES is one part of a global drive to help protect species, and is
increasingly looking at commercial types such as corals, fish and timber
alongside efforts to safeguard iconic animals such as tigers and elephants.

Tags follow 'Nemo' fish to home

About 60% of the young orange clownfish found their way home

The remarkable homing instincts of some coral reef fish have been revealed.

A team tagged two species of reef fish larvae to see where the juveniles were going after spending weeks and even months maturing in open sea.

It found most of the orange clownfish - made famous by the Finding Nemo movie - and vagabond butterflyfish returned to the reef where they had first hatched.

Writing in the journal Science, the team said the discovery could have implications for marine protection.

"Marine fish lay very small eggs, and when they do, they are released into the water column," explained co-author Professor Geoff Jones from James Cook University in Queensland, Australia.

"They develop into a really tiny little larvae that we think drift around in the water currents, sometimes for months.

"The missing link in our understanding of coral reef fish has always been: where do the larvae go?"

Help from Mum

But until now, finding this out has been extremely tricky - attaching tags to miniscule larvae is not an easy task.

So the international team of researchers tackled the problem by getting the mother to help.

The study took place on a small reef in Kimbe Bay

They did this by collecting female coral reef fish from a small 0.3 sq km reef in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, and injecting them with a rare, stable barium isotope.

The females pass this isotope to their developing offspring where it accumulates in their bones, giving the baby fish unique chemical signatures.

A few weeks later, the team returned to the reef and collected young fish to test them to see if they carried the "tag".

"We found that 60% - well over half - were coming back to the small island reserve, which was an unexpected result," Professor Jones told the BBC.

Navigational feat

The scientists are uncertain how the vividly coloured orange clownfish and vagabond butterflyfish perform this feat but hope to find out with further research.

"Perhaps they are somehow remaining in sensory contact with their home island and are able to maintain their position and not end up drifting too far away," said Professor Jones.

"Or maybe they are getting carried away, but they have a homing mechanism to swim back to their home reef."

Although the study was carried out on two species, Professor Jones believes the finding may apply to other coral reef fish too, and if this is the case, it could have consequences for marine conservation.

It shows that small no-take marine reserves are a good way to protect over-fished species, he said, because there should be enough juveniles returning to the area to sustain numbers over time.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/6623981.stm

Published: 2007/05/04 15:14:23 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Scientists go hi-tech to save coral

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Scientists go hi-tech to save coral:

Scientists go hi-tech to save coral

At cold depths, the rate of growth is very slow

Less is known about the floor of the world's oceans than the surface of the Moon.

It is only in the past few decades that technology allowing humans to peer into the previously uncharted depths has become available to scientists.

Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and manned submersible craft have opened up to exploration a whole new world of deep marine ecosystems.

One of the most startling discoveries has been the number of coral reefs living hundreds of metres beneath the surface, in temperatures ranging from 4-13C (39-55F).

The existence of cold-water corals has been known since the 18th Century, but the vast number of reefs found in the deeper reaches of the world's waters has amazed researchers.

Yet just as scientists are beginning to understand the significance of the coral to the surrounding environment, they are also witnessing destruction.

'Glacial' growth

Environmentalists point the finger of blame at the fishing industry and the practice of bottom-trawling with drag nets.

This method of fishing involves scouring the sea bed with huge nets that are some 60m-wide; they are held apart by two huge metal plates weighing up to five tonnes.

Submersibles have brought a revolution in understanding

"It's heavy gear, and the reefs and the coral colonies are very fragile and easily damaged," Jan Helge Fossa, chief scientist at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, tells TVE's Earth Report programme for BBC World.

"So it was quite obvious that this was an activity that couldn't go on," he adds.

Cold corals are very slow growing. Some individuals are estimated to be up to 1,800 years old, and many reefs began forming at the end of the last Ice Age.

Damage inflicted by bottom-trawling can result in catastrophic consequences for the species living amid the reefs.

Onboard the institute's research vessel, Dr Helge Fossa is leading a survey for cold corals off the northern coast of Norway.

Robot eyes

The Institute provides advice on the marine environment to the Norwegian government, which is one of the few nations that have introduced laws to protect cold-water corals.

After performing a multibeam sonar sweep that provides a real-time map of the search area, the team launches a ROV through the side of the ship.

I have never heard a person in Norway, after looking at the videos, who objects to protection Dr Jan Helge Fossa, Norwegian marine scientist

Once the vehicle reaches the site 200m below the surface, its four powerful lights allow the onboard camera to beam pictures back to the scientists on the surface.

"What we see here is only coral rubble, and it's trawled out to small pieces," Dr Helge Fossa observes. "We have so far seen no live coral."

It is not long before the prime suspect is located: discarded trawling equipment. Closer inspection reveals that the nets and gear are likely to be about 20 years old.

Norway's Coral Act 1999 protects all coral reefs in the nation's waters from intentional damage, and bottom-trawling has been completely banned in areas surrounding five specific reefs.

However, the country has the longest coastline in Europe, making monitoring and policing the region a tough task.

Video campaign

To date, there have been no prosecutions from data gathered by the space-borne Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), but Dr Helge Fossa's team hopes images obtained by its high-definition submersible-camera system will help change that.

The Norwegian expedition finds evidence of discarded gear

"We know that it is important to get our results out, not only to the government but also to the public," he says. "That's why we use a lot of videos, it tells more than a thousand words."

He said it made people understand why the complex ecosystems needed protecting: "I have never heard a person in Norway, after looking at the videos, who objects to protection."

Some scientists believe that other nations should adopt similar protection measures as Norway, otherwise many more deep cold-water reefs will resemble a lunar surface.

The Television Trust for the Environment's (TVE) Earth Report - Cold Corals Deep will be broadcast on BBC World on 21 and 23 October 2006. Please check schedules for further details

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/6067806.stm

Published: 2006/10/20 12:17:05 GMT

© BBC MMVII