Barbara P. Fernandez for The New York Times
Good article in the NY Times about re-establishing coral. It's working; Looe Key was battered with hurricanes these past several years and got covered with sand and a lot was smothered. There are so many factors that have to be taken into consideration. We are just under 7 miles from American shoal and it's good to know that the live rock "takers" are wondering why, after more than 25 years of TAKING, there isn't much left to find and sell. Now, finally, they put their efforts into restoring the balance. If lobster/crab traps are not brought in before a storm, and they roll along the ocean floor, they also do damage. Hopefully, the coral will come back.
Clouds were moving across the sun and a 20-knot northeast wind was stirring a 3-foot chop as Meaghan Johnson headed her open boat into the Florida Straits.
Ms. Johnson, a program coordinator for the Nature Conservancy, headed the boat into the swells, to minimize swamping, as her passengers tried in vain to avoid soaking spray.
One of them, Ken Nedimyer, stood next to her at the console, gazing out at the seemingly featureless welter of waves, seeking signs — a slight change in water depth here, a barely visible underwater patch of reef there — that only he could recognize and triangulate with the rapidly disappearing onshore landmarks of Key Largo.
About two and a half miles out, he told Ms. Johnson to throttle back a bit. "Over there," he said, pointing off the starboard bow. "About 400 yards." ...
Progress continues ... if we think about global warming, over fishing, weather damage, etc., etc., and think its a fruitless pursuit to correct our problems, we'll have nothing in the end. Looe Key is still a beautiful coral reef, especially on 50 foot clarity days. Advance action is needed. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteToo many people like to give up and say it isn't their problem. Selfish. Even better are those who spout how it's natural for these things to happen. What a crock, talk about taking the easy way out.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see some people working toward preserving the planet instead of lining their pockets and saying FU to the rest of us.