Ruining Coral Draws Fines in Hawaii

[Coventina]

Source: New York Times

HONOLULU (AP) — A Maui tour company is paying the State of Hawaii nearly $400,000 in fines for damaging more than 1,200 coral colonies when one of its boats sank at Molokini, a pristine reef and popular diving spot.

Another tour operator faces penalties for wrecking coral when it illegally dropped an anchor on a Maui reef. And the state plans to sue the Navy over coral ruined when a guided missile cruiser ran aground near Pearl Harbor in February.

The fines began two years ago to punish those who damage a resource critical to Hawaii’s fragile environment and tourism, the state’s No. 1 industry.

“People are going to have to be more careful out here, because if it keeps getting damaged, we’re going to lose it,” said Laura Thielen, chairwoman of the State Board of Land and Natural Resources, which decides how much to fine.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/science/earth/03coral.html

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Good!

[Xithras]

1. Oh wow, that's interesting.

I dove Molokini in 2001 from a Maui Dive Shop boat (I don't know if it was the one that sank). The guys on the boat were very conscientious about the environment we were going into, and gave us long lectures on not damaging the wildlife or coral. They even wrapped up with a claim that anyone caught breaking off coral as a souvenir would be expected to "find a ride back to shore on another boat". We definitely had the feeling that the message was serious, even though it was delivered with a smile and chuckle.

I'm a bit shocked to hear that they did so much damage to the reef. They certainly can't claim ignorance.

[timeforpeace]

2. Belize has begun this and has levied 2 million dollar plus fines this year. Unfortunately, Belize

does nothing to mark the innumerable coral heads there, and accidental grounding are treated the same as intentionally anchoring on coral.

[X_Digger]

3. The good thing..

.. is that corals grow a lot faster than most people think. Some acropora species can grow an inch a month from all growth tips, and some monitpora species can double their mass in the first month after fragmentation.

Corals reproduce both sexually and asexually. Asexual reproduction happens when traumatic events like storms (or boat anchors, or boat hulls..) break off pieces of coral, which land elsewhere. If these fragments receive sunlight and flow, and aren't covered in sand or silt, chances are, they'll start new colonies.

Sexual reproduction in corals happens around late August or early September in Hawaii, if I recall correctly. Mass spawning of corals leaves the water soupy with eggs and sperm. These open areas are perfect for coral larvae to settle, attach, and start new colonies.

That's not to say that we should encourage damage to reefs, but just like forest fires open up new ground for young trees, coral damage provides opportunities for more biodiversity.

[zonkers]

4. I hereby propose a one year moratorium on all state and federal parks, preserves forests etc.

Let's give them a chance to be assessed and to recover from human impact. Kind of like a year of kindness towards them.