Ambitious Great Barrier Reef Clean-Up Operation Begins

The world’s biggest clean-up operation of a coral reef ever attempted is set to begin off the coast of Queensland, Australia, HIT reports. The Douglas Shoal area of the Coral Reef was damaged when a Chinese coal carrier ran around over ten years ago.

The MV Shen Neng 1 struck the reef on 3 April 2010, east of Rockhampton, Central Queensland, after straying over 10km outside a shipping lane. It scraped along the highly sensitive surface of the reef for about 3km, creating the largest grounding scar ever recorded on the Great Barrier Reef, and leaving a 2-mile-long oil slick.

The delicately balanced ecosystem is home to over 600 types of coral, as well as many other protected species of marine wildlife, including fish, sharks, turtles, and whales. The corals are living entities, formed by tiny creatures called coral polyps.

A Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority spokesman said: “There are no known precedents for remediation on this scale. The Douglas Shoal environmental remediation project is one of the most ambitious and large-scale coral reef clean-ups every undertaken globally."

He added: “The size of the grounding footprint at Douglas Shoal, its remoteness and difficult sea conditions commonly experienced … means the remediation is logistically challenging and must be carefully planned for the safety of workers and for the protection of the environment.”

The reef consists of both hard corals and soft corals. Hard corals are limestone cases which have been created when coral polyps extract calcium from the seawater, and they make up the building blocks of the reef. The polyps live inside the coral cases, and can move freely inside interconnecting chambers.

Soft corals are sometimes confused with seaweed, because of their pliable jelly like consistency. This type of coral provides the vivid colours that look so attractive in marine fish tanks. The bright colours are often matched by the creatures who find a habitat in soft corals, which provide them with camouflage and shelter.

Animals such as sea slugs and snails, as well as some species of fish, feed on soft corals. To protect themselves, the corals release toxic chemicals, and can develop a spiky surface to repel predators. The corals can reproduce by mass spawning from male and female polyps, and can also reproduce asexually, simply by dividing to form new unique polyps.

If you are thinking of introducing corals to your tank for the first time, it’s best to start off with hardier species such as Zoanthids, Discosomma, Leptoseris and Seriatopora. These will adapt well to most conditions, unlike more exotic species. To help your corals survive and thrive, it’s important to keep the quality of water and light in your tank at optimal levels.

Before introducing a new coral to your tank, check it over for signs of illness. These include discolouration, such as bleaching. Make sure you know what colour the coral is supposed to be. Also check there are no signs of brown slime on the coral, or any withered or scarred areas, which is a sign of poor health.

If you are looking for marine fish tank equipment for sale, talk to us today.