Super Eco

Photo credit: Anilorca, Wikimedia Commons

I used to only think of coral reefs as existing in more tropical areas, but biologists at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council want to establish 23,000 acres of marine area from the Carolinas to Florida as protected habitats, to conserve the ancient and unharmed reefs of the Atlantic.

Whereas tropical coral reefs are brighter in color and easily spotted in clear, warm waters, the reefs of the Atlantic Ocean (unlike warm-water loving humans) live in the deepest, darkest, coldest areas.

The proposed protections would not ban fishing, but the protected status would bar fishermen from using certain equipment that can damage the deep Lophelia corals. The Lophelia are the most prominent species in the underwater habitats. According to Wikipedia, they grow very slowly and their progress can be significantly stalled by deep-sea trawl nets or other destructive fishing equipment. The fishermen, not surprisingly, are upset at having to change their practices, and I hope that they can find a suitable method of fishing, as this area is home to a significant portion of North America's anchovies, flounder and yellowtail snapper. One of the more notable areas to potentially be protected is off the coast of North Carolina's Cape Lookout, home to not only coral reefs, but Loggerhead sea turtles as well.

I've always been a bit pulled between the protecting land and marine areas and the preservation of sea-going livelihoods, but I'm coming around.  While it's undoubtedly important to preserve species and natural habitats, it's important now to stop expanding and start preserving.