A group of 36 scientists from 18 countries launched the Tropical Americas Coral Reef Resilience Workshop to track coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean. They found that reefs in some areas in the Caribbean are faring fine – the reef ecosystem in the Cayman Islands, for example, is “relatively intact compared to average conditions in the region.” But in other places, like Jamaica and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the coral cover falls below 10 percent (compared to 30 percent in the Caymans), there is a dangerous level of microalgae and “virtually no fish larger than a few centimeters.” Total coral in the Florida Keys, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico “has progressively declined from 25 to 35 percent in the 1970s to less than 15 percent today.” The report calls it a “catastrophic collapse.”

While the workshop team is careful not to point fingers at any one cause, it says that “human exploitation and disturbance” play an “obvious role.” It notes that the healthiest reefs are in places with low levels of land pollution, some regulation and enforcement of fisheries’ practices, some financial prosperity, and “lower frequency of hurricanes, coral bleaching and disease.” But it stops short there, saying they need to do more research.

Even if the exact causes are still up for debate, the consequences of inaction are not. Warning that “time s running out for corals on the Caribbean reefs,” the IUCN is calling for urgent measures to cut pollution and aggressive fishing methods. What can you do? Start by eating less fish.

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Officials are closing off Crater Lake to scuba divers while they work on a plan to protect it from invasive species. The lake has become an increasingly popular destination for divers since a segment about diving there aired on the Oregon Public Broadcasting show “Oregon Field Guide” last year. Ecologists worry that scuba divers could bring quagga mussels, spiny water fleas or a virus that is deadly to fish into the lake. Any of these species, or a number of others like them, could prove disastrous for the 1,943 foot-deep lake.

Diving the lake is such a demanding proposition that until now divers hadn’t been considered a big threat. To reach the lake, they must carry 80 pounds or more of gear down a 1,000-foot slope (no wheeled carriers allowed), take a boat to an island and then hike for another half hour over volcanic debris. The lake is also so high up that the risk of the “bends” is higher than in most places. One diving instructor told The Oregonian that he and his fellow divers camp at 6,000 feet to adjust to the altitude before attempting a dive in the lake.

Once there, though, divers can see volcanic formations, tunnels and thick layers of peat moss.

The park plans to reopen the lake to diving sometime next year and will probably require divers to get permits and follow various restrictions.

Main photo credit: @Michael/Flickr

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