What does healthy coral reef look like?

Right now in the media there is a rather sinister campaign being run. The Great Barrier Reef is said to be ‘thriving’ because it is spawning. Coral reefs have spawned for millions of years. There is nothing unusual in that. And yes, they are resilient to climate fluctuations over the course of that length of geological time. However, rapid decline in the health of the reef due to frequent coral bleaching is cause for alarm. So, what does healthy coral reef look like?

I’ll show you.

This is what a healthy coral reef looks like!

Here is a video we took at the Low Isles off Port Douglas in November 2013. This reef has areas showing no signs of recovery after 50 years. The increasing regularity and intensity of cyclones has seen this glorious reef system decline.

Colourful reefs are often unhealthy or completely made up

A reef with bright reds, pinks and oranges isn’t necessarily healthy. Red is not a common colour on coral reefs, except at great depth, where it appears black.

Most often you’re seeing deep water corals photographed with flashlight that make up the red colours. These wavelengths are absorbed at depth and don’t exist in nature. Colourful coral reefs are a myth created to sell magazines.

In this article titled ‘Great Barrier Reef Erupts in Color’ the picture is actually taken in an aquarium and is mostly soft corals. Neither the image, nor the fact that corals spawn, are indications the reef is recovering at all.

This image used in an article about a ‘thriving GBR’ is NOT a real coral reef

Great Barrier Reef Erupts in Color After Coral Bleaching Episode

How can you tell what’s true?

What does healthy coral reef look like? Spotting a healthy reef is easy. Just look for these three things:

COLOUR – STRUCTURE – FISH LIFE

1. A healthy reef is not colourful. It’s mostly muted greens, blues and yellows.
2. A healthy reef is structurally very complex. It is highly three-dimensional and intricate.
3. A healthy reef has lots of fish! Especially if you see lots of different types of fish in abundance.

Some of the work being done on the Great Barrier Reef these days is documenting the final stages of the ecosystem’s demise. It’s very sad to watch. While getting people involved is good, it won’t help unless more is done to tackle the cause of the problem – climate change.

It is very worrying indeed to see rhetoric emerging in the media claiming everything is recovering. It is not. Please continue to put pressure on your politicians to do something and don’t stand for nonsense you see or read online.