By Kisean Joseph
Antigua and Barbuda is currently experiencing the profound impact of the fourth global coral bleaching event.
Those who depend on the reefs for a livelihood are holding their breath as they witness the harrowing effects on the country’s marine ecosystem.
According to experts familiar with the region, this latest event – confirmed in April by US scientists – is the second in the last decade.
Coral bleaching happens when water temperatures rise to levels that cause the corals to expel the algae living in their tissues. This expulsion results in the corals losing their colour and turning completely white.
According to Ruleo Camacho, Marine Ecologist with the National Parks Authority, “Essentially, corals are multi-faceted organisms, part animal, part plant, and the clear turquoise waters that we have in our area are because we have a very low nutrient system. Coral bleaching specifically speaks to the process where corals lose the plant aspect of their bodies because of a stressful environment.”
He continued, “We’re just coming off of a major coral bleaching last year so we already have a weakened system, a system which has in some areas lost over 90 percent of living tissue and has been recovering since.
“We’re seeing the impacts, and locally we’re beginning to see signs of the stressors starting to impact our coral reef systems but we’re not yet seeing the level of bleaching that we saw last year,” Camacho added.
Derek Manzello, of the USA’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in May that between February 2023 and April 2024 significant coral bleaching had been documented in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of each major ocean basin.
In the early months of 2023, there was distressing news about massive coral bleaching occurring across the tropics. This concerning phenomenon was observed in various locations such as Florida in the US, the Caribbean, Brazil, the Eastern Tropical Pacific, and the famous Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Furthermore, experts reported alarming confirmation of widespread bleaching across the Indian Ocean basin.
Manzello stated that as the world’s oceans continue to warm, coral bleaching is becoming more frequent and severe. It can impact economies, livelihoods, food security, and more.
Coral reefs protect coastlines from storms and erosion, provide jobs for local communities, and play an important role in protecting in-shore habitats like mangroves, which absorb carbon dioxide thus helping fight climate change.
However, bleaching does not necessarily mean that corals will die. If the stress driving the bleaching diminishes, corals can recover and reefs can continue providing the ecosystem services we rely on.
Camacho explained, “They facilitate shelter and areas for different species to grow, hide, and avoid predators. The healthier your reef system, the more biomass and fish the reef can hold.
“Consider a 10-pound snapper – it may not care much about a single coral, but the creatures it preys on depend heavily on that coral for shelter.
“When you have a fever, all your body wants to do is focus on healing it. You don’t want your body dealing with a nail in your foot, a broken arm, or some kind of skin disease.”
Camacho said local residents can help alleviate the issues by abiding by environmental regulations.
Closed seasons, he said, “are critically important because they give the surrounding ecosystem habitats and populations a chance to survive”.
He continued, “If you’re a boater, ensure you don’t anchor on the reef. If you’re just going to the beach, ensure that you’re not removing things from the water to show your friends and family.
“If you’re building a house, ensure you’re not running your sewage pipe into the gutter because all gutters lead to the ocean.
“We want our collective community to ensure that, while the reefs are facing elevated temperatures like a fever, we’re not adding stress to the system with our actions.”
Still, Camacho said the reefs were currently looking healthier than last year.
“We still have to have a couple of months before we can say that we’re past the worst of it. And so, it’s kind of one of those wait-and-see aspects,” he added.
Last week, scientists warned that ocean temperatures in the Great Barrier Reef were at their hottest in at least 400 years, posing an “existential threat” to the world’s largest coral reef system.
In Antigua and Barbuda, the many local people who rely on the country’s reefs for a living can do little more than observe the distressing situation and hope for meaningful change.
