Page 60 - Coral Reef Teachers Guide

Coral Reef Teacher’s Guide Benefits, Threats, and Solutions

Figure 3-13. Divers marvel at the deep, plated corals, Figure 3-14. During the summer 1997 installation of reef
colorful sponges and beautiful fish they encounter at mooring buoys in Guanaja, Bay Islands, Honduras, local
Guanaja’s coral reefs. (Photo: Craig Quirolo) diver Yovanni Bacca spliced lines underwater to attach
the buoy line to the eyebolt on the ocean bottom. (Photo:
Craig Quirolo)
European Union. The Rangers were trained
to identify and collect algae samples and wa-
ter column samples. Dr. James Porter of the of 250 feet or greater. The islands are home to
University of Georgia trained the Rangers to leatherback, green, loggerhead and hawksbill turtles,
set up transects to monitor the coral reefs. although exploitation is depleting populations.
In 1998, the Jamaican Government officially The reefs are dominated by spur and groove
designated the Negril Marine Park and iden- formations with massive plate corals, sponges,
tified the NCRPS as the park authority so that and other sealife. Conch, lobster and fish are
they qualify for the additional funding from harvested commercially (Figure 3-13).
the European Community Fund. The business interests of Guanaja recently or-
REEF MOORING BUOYS FOR GUANAJA, BAY IS‐ ganized to form the Guanaja Tourism Association.
LANDS, HONDURAS They quickly realized that protecting the is-
The Bay Islands of Honduras have some of the land’s coral reefs was an important way to pro-
world’s most beautiful coral reefs. The islands mote the economic growth of this tiny island
lie offshore of this Central American country that depends entirely upon diving, fishing, and
and include Roatan, Utila and Guanaja, and the tourism. A visitor impact fee was imple- men-
smaller Cayos Cochinos. The islands parallel a ted to help fund conservation efforts. By 1997,
deep ocean trench that runs east- west with the Tourism Association had approved the first
a nearly continuous fringing reef on the north expenditure of these fees to install 30 perma-
coast with channels up to 126 feet deep that nent reef mooring buoys at Guanaja’s coral
cut through the reef platform. On the south reefs. Now, thanks to a partnership with REEF
coast, a discontinuous fringing reef features RELIEF, the buoys are avail- able at popular
a 30 - 40 foot deep horizontal reef platform dive sites (Figure 3-14).
continuing seaward to a drop
During the summer months of 1997, REEF RE-
LIEF’s

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