There is no doubt the growing coral reef destruction is causing a ripple effect with beach erosion on top of the loss of habitat and biodiversity of our oceans. We’ve seen some pretty interesting artificial coral reefs but Coral Arks…
Massive coral reef, twice the size of Manila, destroyed in Philippines by poachers
A tragic crime that is being described as “the rape of the ocean” took place in the Philippines where poachers decimated an entire reef area almost twice the size of Manila harvesting over 21,000 pieces of black coral and killing 161 endangered sea turtles and…
Should natural ecosystems like coral reefs have legal rights?
After reading a recent article about a law set to pass in Bolivia granting legal rights and recognition to natural systems, the main question I asked myself was should natural ecosystems like coral reefs have legal rights? Is this another…
Rising ocean temperatures is making some coral populations move to cooler reefs
In addition to coral bleaching events, increases in ocean temperatures are having another affect on reef building corals, with populations of some species migrating away from the equator. A new study found corals around Japan shifting north to waters thought…
Natural reef bommies are the ultimate aquascaping inspiration
Some of our favorite dives are shallow sandy areas with isolated patches of corals, nicknamed bommies. These natural settings are perfect inspirations for a reef tank aquascape. We found this lovely youtube video depicting some nice bommies, and wanted to…
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park turns 50
The first underwater park in the United States celebrates its 50th birthday this weekend. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, located in Key Largo about 60 miles south of Miami, includes nature trails, exhibits, guided canoe and kayak tours though…
Reef climate lab opens in Australia
The first coral reef climate lab was recently opened near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to study the effects of different variables from climate change on corals in a controlled setting. The state-of-the-art lab will run controlled experiments to see how…
Some deepwater corals being found smothered by crude from the BP oil spill
A recent survey of the sea floor near the failed BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico has uncovered a coral graveyard of deepwater coral species that were most likely damaged from the infamous recent oil spill and plume…
CARN brings hobbyists, the industry and researchers together to promote coral knowledge
The Coral Aquarist Research Network (CARN) is a young program launched in the UK to combine the efforts and knowledge of three unique groups of stakeholders, all in the name of coral. Hobbyists, industry representatives and researchers each share a…
What do Bill Maher and Dr. Terry Gosliner have in common?
[youtube width=”640″ height=”505″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo5GZKnOazY[/youtube] Opinions on reefs and climate change is what they have in common. Political comedian and talk show host Bill Maher talked about coral reefs on his show this week “Real Time with Bill Maher.” This short clip…