Surprise! Coral survey fails to find basic marine health indicators!

On the 12th August 2012 Taiwan Environmental Information Center (台灣環境資訊協會) organized a general survey of Taiwan’s coral. The marine ecology laboratories at Academia Sinica (中央研究院) were responsible for investigation and analysis of the job. In addition to a general examination of the coral, a number of volunteers and students from Taitung came forward to participate in a beach cleaning activity.

This year’s survey of the coral reef off Shanyuan Bay (杉原灣), examined the same two locations as previous years - the central point and the right side of the reef near the Erythrina Tribal Village (刺桐部落). Three volunteers familiar with the local terrain began the examination by marking an 100-meter area in front of Meiliwan Resort Hotel (美麗灣渡假村). Various volunteer groups then conducted fish and invertebrate survey investigations recording all relevant data. The time period for each survey area was one oxygen cylinder.

In addition to investigators and volunteers, there were also a number of foreign people who assisted in the invertebrate survey. Science instructor Yang Mingzhe said the fish index, which is used to assess the environmental condition of water, was clearly not normal. He said: "In the Shanyuan Bay area, the survey focused on two main spots; the area adjacent to Meiliwan Resort Hotel, and the southern portion of the coral reef close to the fish farms and the village of the Erythrina Tribe (刺桐部落). On the whole, coral coverage near the central area around Meiliwan Resort Hotel was lower, suffering from the influence of sediment. Put simply, coral damage from sediment influence was markedly higher at the in front of Meiliwan Resort Hotel. With regards to the fish survey, both areas failed to display healthy indicators. For example, even the common herbivorous butterfly fish, which is a healthy indicator, was not present.”

The initial results of this year’s general survey are as follows: a decline in coral coverage around the central reef area; a failure to meet normal fish index numbers in both central and south areas – and only once meeting the correct index figures in the invertebrates survey! When one considers that this was originally an incredibly abundant fishing area, the results give a firm warning. In the short two hours of beach cleaning work, six volunteers picked up marine debris that filled a considerable number of bags. The quantity and types of garbage retrieved was filled into an internationally accepted form and returned to an international beach cleaning organization. These garbage found included; barbecue grills, small pieces of plastic, paper and plastic bags, shoes, lighters, diamond mesh, aluminum foil packaged beverages, glass and plastic beverage bottles, cigarette-related rubbish, Styrofoam, fishing tackle, etc. It is probable that the large quantity of human-created waste being discarded into our oceans is one of the reasons for the reduction of marine life!

PeoPo 公民新聞

Surprise! Coral survey fails to find basic marine health indicators!
URL: http://www.peopo.org/news/99407

(以下是中文對照)

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驚！珊瑚體檢找不到代表生態健康的指標性魚類！ ( 欖仁居修行生活網 )

2012年台灣珊瑚總體檢由台灣環境資訊協會所主辦，中央研究院珊瑚生態演化實驗室負責實際的調查紀錄工作。8月12日在台東杉原海灣展開，除了珊瑚總體檢外，另有多位志工及台東的學生響應淨灘活動。

本 次杉原灣珊瑚總體檢和往年一樣，在杉原灣的中礁和刺桐部落右側的魚場兩個地點進行。體檢調查先由三位熟識海灣地形的志工在美麗灣度假村正前方的中礁標示出 100公尺調查範圍，隨後魚類調查紀錄志工先行，最後才是無脊椎動物調查志工下水調查紀錄。每個體檢的場域預計調查的時間是一支氧氣筒的時間。
　　
除 了台灣的調查員及志工，另外有多位外籍人士協助調查的進行，他們主要負責的是無脊椎動物的調查紀錄。科學指導員楊明哲提到，這次調查的結果發現，在魚類的 部分，我們沒有發現任何指標性的魚類。他說：「我們在杉原地區，主要調查兩個焦點，第一個是正對美麗灣飯店的中礁，另外一個點是比較靠近刺桐部落南邊魚場 的這片海域的南礁。整體來看，中礁相對的來說珊瑚覆蓋率比較低，受到沉積物的影響，也就是泥砂的覆蓋在珊瑚上面的現象也比較多。在魚類的調查部分，這兩個 地方都沒有指標性的魚類，好比說蝶魚，類似這樣的草食性魚類，就是一個健康的指標，這次很不幸我們甚至連這種最常見的蝶魚也沒有看到。」

此 次總體檢初步顯示：中礁珊瑚覆蓋率下滑，中礁及南礁竟都看不到指標性魚類，無脊椎動物出現率也只有一次！這對原是魚產豐富的魚場來說，無異是一大警訊。在 淨灘工作上，在短短2小時之內，六位志工撿拾了幾袋的海洋廢棄物，黃苑蓉表示：這些撿回來的垃圾數量及種類將填入國際通用的表格，並將回報國際淨灘組織。 這些廢棄物中有烤肉架、塑膠碎片、「紙袋或塑膠袋」、「鞋子」、打火機、菱形網、鋁箔包飲料、玻璃瓶、塑膠飲料瓶和香菸相關垃圾、保麗龍、釣具等，可見大 海被迫要吸收人類所製造的垃圾，相信這也是海底生物減少的原因之一！

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