CORAL INTEGRITY A matter of give and take
Posted on 11/20/2015 | About Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Carnival Cruise Lines’ Charitable Foundation gave $75,000 to the Central Caribbean Marine Institute, based on Little Cayman. The gift is for the growth and restoration of endangered coral species. In a separate news item, the Cayman Islands government is being asked to destroy 35 acres of coral reef in order to develop cruise ship berthing facilities in the George Town harbour.
In 2014 about 82 percent of Cayman’s cruise business came from Carnival and Royal Caribbean and neither cruise line is willing to tender to the existing port from their larger cruise vessels. Cayman Islands Deputy Premier Moses Kirkconnell said that, “As more of these mega-ships are introduced it is becoming clearer that if Cayman wants to seriously be considered as a cruise tourism destination into the future, we have to provide the services and facilities cruise lines require, otherwise our cruise tourism business will sail past Grand Cayman to other destinations.” In order for the piers to be built 35 acres of reef will be destroyed from dredging and eventually from silt and turbidity. The proponents of the pier development suggest that the reefs can be transplanted.
Marine scientists Dr Ellen Prager, Dr Steven Miller and Dr Carl Safina have published a report titled, ‘Grand Cayman's coral reefs must not be destroyed.’ They insist that coral reefs cannot be transplanted. “What we see as a coral reef is the cumulative result of a special location, specific ocean conditions and the incalculable interactions of a diverse living community of organisms.” “The functional unit of a reef is not just what lives on the surface, but the three dimensional structure comprised of coral rock that in the case of George Town Harbor is comprised of building-sized units that stretch across dozens of acres.” Last year 50 volunteer divers worked with the Cayman Islands Department of the Environment to help when the Carnival Magic anchor dragged across a dive site destroying 11,500 square feet (3505.2 metres) of coral.
Lois Hatcher from Ocean Frontiers is trained in coral restoration and was part of the group. She said, “A lot of man-hours are needed to restore a reef – first with the triage, then the reattachment and maintenance.” She anticipated up to a year to do the restoration. Even in the most idyllic conditions boulder corals grow less than 1 centimeter a year and reefs grow even slower, so damage of that magnitude reflects thousands of years of coral growth. Residents are signing petitions to stop the new port.
Carrie Manfrino president of Central Caribbean Marine Institute said, “We are absolutely delighted to receive this donation from Carnival Foundation. CCMI’s overarching goal is to increase the sustainability of critically endangered coral species, and Carnival Foundation’s grant will enable us to target and improve the restoration of corals including those recently impacted by the ‘bleaching effects’ of warm water in the Caribbean and through our development of coral nurseries and other restoration work.”
