Page 162 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

160 SHALLOW SEAS

PACIFIC OCEAN WEST species concentrated in a few square PACIFIC OCEAN WEST In 1988, the Philippines government
kilometres. The reef also contains the intervened, declaring the area a
Shiraho Reef world’s largest colony of rare Blue Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park, and since 1993
Ridge Coral (Heliopora coerulea). For it has also been a UNESCO World
TYPE Fringing reef decades, environmentalists battled TYPE Atolls Heritage Site. The condition of the
AREA 10 square km to save the reef from the building of AREA 330 square km Tubbataha reefs has much improved,
(4 square miles) a new airport for Ishigaki. A proposal (130 square miles) due to the enforcement of measures
CONDITION Reasonable; to construct the airport on top of the CONDITION Good; such as a prohibition on fishing and a
damaged in parts by reef was dropped, but concern remains recovering from coral ban on boats anchoring on the reefs
bleaching in 1998, 2007 now that it has been built on land, as bleaching in 2010 (visiting craft must use mooring buoys).
LOCATION Southeast coast of Ishigaki Island, at the discharge of excavated soil into the LOCATION Central Sulu Sea, between the Philippines A setback occurred in January 2013
southwestern extremity of Japanese archipelago and northern Borneo
reef is likely to have an adverse effect. when a US Navy minesweeper ran
aground on the reef, damaging over
Shiraho Reef, off Ishigaki Island, part BLUE RIDGE CORAL The Tubbataha Reefs lie around two 2,000 square m (21,500 square ft).
of the Japanese archipelago, came to Despite its name, the colour of this coral atolls in the centre of the Sulu Sea and
notice in the 1980s as an outstanding varies from violet through blue, turquoise, are famous for the many large pelagic
example of biodiversity, with some and green to yellow-brown. Its branching (open ocean) marine animals attracted
120 species of coral and 300 fish vertical plates can form massive colonies. to them – such as sharks, Manta Rays,
turtles, and barracuda. The steeply
shelving reefs here are also rich in
smaller life, including many species
of crustaceans, colourful nudibranchs
(sea slugs), and more than 350 species
of stony and soft coral.
In the early 1990s, the Tubbataha
Reefs were rated by scuba divers
among the top ten dive sites in the
world. However, during the 1980s
they suffered considerable damage
from destructive fishing practices and
the establishment of a seaweed farm.
CORAL DROP-OFF
In this photograph of a steeply shelving
reef slope, several species of soft coral
are visible, together with a shoal of
Longfin Bannerfish.

PACIFIC OCEAN WEST Nusa Tenggara is a chain of around indicate an extremely high diversity of Humphead Parrotfish, and various
500 coral-fringed islands in southern marine life in this region. For example, species of octopuses and nudibranchs
Nusa Tenggara Indonesia. The northern islands are a single large reef can contain more (sea slugs). Major threats to the reefs
volcanic in origin, while the southern than 1,200 species of fish (more than in Nusa Tenggara include pollution
TYPE Fringing reefs, islands consist mainly of uplifted coral in all the seas in Europe combined), from land-based sources, removal of
barrier reefs
limestone. Many of the reefs have and 500 different species of reef- fish for the aquarium trade, and reef
AREA 5,000 square km been only rarely explored. However, building coral. Common animals here destruction by blast fishing. Coral
(2,000 square miles)
what surveys have been carried out include Eagle Rays, Manta Rays, bleaching affected some reefs in 2010.
CONDITION Damaged by
fishing practices
LOCATION Southern Indonesia, from Lombok in the
west to Timor in the east

OCEAN ENVIRONMENTS REEF FLAT OFF PANTAR ISLAND

This shallow reef area, featuring
numerous species of stony coral and
a starfish, is in east Nusa Tenggara.