Thousands of Years Old, Cold-Water Corals Ripped by Trawlers

OKINAWA, Japan, July 1, 2004 (ENS) - Research with sophisticated underwater camera technology and deep-sea vehicles has begun to shed new light on cold-water corals, little known in comparison to the tropical corals found in warmer waters. At risk from trawlers and undersea cables, cold-water corals are attracting attention this week as representatives from governments, nongovernmental organizations and coral reef experts meet in Okinawa for the 10th International Coral Reef Symposium.

The latest research, published in a United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) report entitled "Cold-water coral reefs: out of sight - no longer out of mind," shows that these corals are found in almost all the world's oceans and some have already been destroyed or scarred.

The report was written by five international coral reef experts and produced with support from UNEP, WWF and the Governments of Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom. It will be released during a two-day meeting convened by the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) in Okinawa on July 3 and 4, which follows the Coral Reef Symposium.

Fisheries, exploration and production of oil and gas as well as the placement of pipelines and cables can have a big impact on cold-water coral reef ecosystems.

Radio carbon dating indicates that many cold-water coral reefs are up to 8,000 years old. Geological records of such reefs go back millions of years.

Reefs of the cold water coral Lophelia pertusa can be as rich in biodiversity as some tropical coral reefs. (Photo courtesy Government of Scotland)

Compared to more than 700 species of warm water corals, there are only six cold-water corals which build reefs. White corals, Lophelia, are being found throughout the Atlantic, including off Galicia, Spain, in the Bay of Biscay, the Caribbean Sea and parts of the Mediterranean Sea, including the Alboran, Ligurian and Ionian seas and the Straits of Gibraltar.

A dense belt of white coral exists from the south western Barents Sea along the eastern Atlantic down to West Africa off countries as far as Mauritania. Another belt is being discovered along the western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to the Florida Strait and into the Gulf of Mexico.

UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer sees cold-water coral reefs as one of the planet's "life-support systems" that must be added to the conservation agenda. "Cold-water coral reefs are emerging as a new piece in this vital web of life which now requires our urgent attention," he said.

Getting the attention of the world's decisionmakers for the report's 24 recommendations for action is needed before many more of the cold-water corals are damaged, reef experts say.

Live coral on the Darwin Mounds in UK waters. 1999. (Two photos courtesy JNCC)

The report recommends dialogue with the fishing industry and other stakeholders in the development of regulations and measures for the conservation, protection and sustainable development of cold-water coral reefs in waters within and beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.

Director General of WWF International Claude Martin says now that scientists and politicians are beginning to view the ocean as a finite resource, more research is needed to underpin "thoughtful stewardship and intelligent management."

Dead coral damaged by cables on the Darwin Mounds

"Cold-water coral ecosystems are fragile oases on the sea floor," said Mark Collins, director of UNEP-WCMC. "Like rainforests, they are home for thousands of species and act as spawning ground and kindergarten for a large number of fish, including commercial species."

"Trawling these reefs is like cutting an orchard to harvest the apples," warned Collins.

Living in waters of four to 13º Celsius, cold-water corals are usually found in depths between 200 and 1,000 meters, but they can be found in waters as shallow as 40 metres and as deep as 6,300 meters.

Cold-water corals are part of a group of organisms known as Cnidaria, which means stinging nettles and include anemones and sea pens. They are closely related to the species forming reefs in warm, tropical waters.

"We hope that our report will promote the awareness of cold-water coral reefs throughout the world," Collins said, "especially in those countries which might not yet know that these unique natural treasures occur in their own waters."