In living close to the Gulf Of Mexico, it is important that we have up to date information on the importance of and protection towards coral reefs—the earth’s “largest living structure”, according to the Gulf Of Mexico Fishery Management Council.
Coral reefs are, according to Live Science, “large underwater structures composed of coral, which are marine invertebrate animals.” And marine invertebrates, according to Wildscreen Arkive, are sea creatures such as clams, jellyfish and lobster. Coral reefs are found all over the world, including in the Gulf Of Mexico—with the biggest reef being Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Furthermore, a polyp is an individual coral and “new colonies of polyps (are grown) on top of the skeletons of older ones.”
Along with the aforementioned information about coral reefs, I managed to find some more facts about them; all taken from the Gulf Of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s website. Coral reefs “have been around for over 400 million years and are home to more kinds of life than any other marine environment.” Coral reefs also protect shorelines from storm surge, need clean water to thrive and are extremely fragile.
As well as being extremely fragile, coral reefs are also the source of food, shelter and breeding for 25 percent of marine animals—says Live Science. With this knowledge, it is important we pay attention to the harm befalling these reefs and discuss ways to ensure their protection. According to Live Science, factors such as ocean acidification, increasing ocean temperatures and overfishing are harming the coral reefs and—by extension—harming the species that call these reefs home. And, to bring in a Galveston County connection, the coral reefs in the Gulf Of Mexico are being harmed by these very factors. You can read more about this in an article written by Texas Monthly (https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/gulf-of-mexico-coral-reefs/).
Now, the only question that remains is—how do we protect these coral reefs? You may believe that there isn’t much we can do, but the good news is—there is! The Nature Conservancy published an article with a list of eight simple, yet effective, solutions to helping coral reefs. Some of these solutions include: building a virtual coral reef, raising awareness of why coral reefs are important and contacting your representatives to ask them to take a stand to protect the reefs. You can read more about the eight solutions at the website listed below. Other ways to protect coral reefs are to volunteer in cleanups, encourage others to keep their beaches clean, practice safe boating so as not to harm nearby corals and much more.
Coral reefs are a home to so many marine creatures. Since they do not have the capability of protecting themselves, it is up to us to make choices that protect, rather than harm, these reefs. By taking a few simple steps, we can ensure that these coral reefs are around for these marine animals for many years to come.
You can read more about coral reefs and how to protect them at the following websites:
https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/urgentissues/oceans/coral-reefs/ways-to-help-coral-reefs/index.htm?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqdf6iLW_3AIVh8DACh26gwKTEAAYAiAAEgIxS_D_BwE
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/thingsyoucando.html
(https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/gulf-of-mexico-coral-reefs/
https://www.livescience.com/40276-coral-reefs.html
https://www.arkive.org/invertebrates-marine/
http://archive.gulfcouncil.org/resources/education_faqs/coral_reefs_gulf_mexico.php
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