In the Sekisei Lagoon in Japan divers are attempting to save a dying coral reef with new technology which involves drilling holes into the old dying coral beds and placing ceramic discs that contain sprigs of coral. The ceramic discs are baked at 2,700 degrees with tiny pores that allow the sprigs to root. Breaking off pieces of adult reef and replanting to elsewhere is the most common type of transplant but the problem with this is the DNA is also transplanted which gives the reef a weak gene pool. This is a government-led project that is hoped to save what is left of Japans coral reef, which has incurred a 90 percent coral die off in the past decade, due to overfishing, pollution and global warming. This fact got national attention from a heavily industrial nation which is rare, since this nation’s vistas tend toward making sea walls and oil refineries. Started four years ago, this is seen as the largest coral restoration project in the world, expected to take up to 30 to 40 years to accomplish. The Sekisei Lagoon Reef stretches as far as the eye can see and with such small efforts being done to save it there is little hope of success. Since 2005 there have been 13,000 reefs planted which has cost $2 million, which mostly comes from taxpayers. Next year they plan on doubling their rate to install 10,000 in one year. This amount is far from the tens of millions that need to be planted over a 100 square mile area. Coral is important because its resources provide an ongoing support system for island dwellers and inhabitants as well as popular venues for tourists. The reef's natural barriers are what protect the land and its inhabitants from natural disasters, such as tropical storms, and act as a main reservoir for food production, such as fishing. Critics say that the project is a waste of time because simply replacing the coral will not cause the coral number to stabilize without addressing the problems that are causing them to disappear. Chemical runoff and pollution may be able to be controlled but the rising temperature of the ocean is one that cannot be easily fixed. Also survival rates of the transplanted coral reefs are very low since only one third of the sprigs that are planted survive, either eaten by predators such as starfish or dying from the warm water temperature.
I believe this is a very good idea, as coral reefs are a very important part of the ecosystem and should be preserved or saved. Since over 90 percent of the reefs are destroyed the cost almost seems like it would be too much, but we have technology to minimize cost and maximizing results. The rising temperature of the sea is a big impact but there is hardly anything that can be done to change that. What biologists need to come up with a form of coral that can survive in warm water and does not have that many predators.
--Donte Blakey
