Know Your Neighbours: Animal, Vegetable Or Mineral

GOOD CNIDARIANS

Sea kayaking is no longer a sport restricted to chilly water. In palm tree studded regions throughout the world, locals that had never heard of a sea kayak ten years ago are now growing accustomed to them. As commercial guiding companies flourish and more adventurers unfold kayaks worldwide, the future of tropical paddling looks good.Or does it? Tropical paddling rests on a shakey foundation. After all, we don't paddle warm waters because of the palm trees. For the most part, the scenery above water in the tropics pales in comparison to the glacier studded peaks and coastal rainforests most of us enjoy up here. Much of the allure of tropical paddling is in the water itself-the alluring warmth, the colorful fishes, the swaying soft corals and the eye popping visibility.

Tropical water is known for its clarity. Cruising over sand and coral patches clearly visible ten meters below you is a wonderful way to travel, different than the pea soup green we often paddle in up north. Extensive shallows behind reef crests, circular atolls of emerald amidst the blue of deep water-these warm seas entice us in
brochures and on television, enhanced by polarizing lenses, software and our imaginations.

What most visitors don't realize though, is that clear water means sterile water. Many tropical areas have a whole lot of sandy bottom and not much else-there aren't enough nutrients for life to flourish. What makes a big difference is coral-or rather, the stony, reef building corals, animals that cheat the sterile waters by acting as
plants by day and getting food from the sun.Corals are a type of cnidarian, simple animals that use tentacles and stinging cells to capture their food. Though beaches with palm trees might typify the tropics for winter weary brochure surfers, it is often the corals that create the islands and beaches for the palms to
grow on. Stony corals are a remarkable combination of animal (an anemone-like predator that feeds mostly at night), vegetable (single celled algae that use the sun to make food) and mineral (a limestone home precipitated from minerals in sea water). When they are healthy, colonies can grow rock faster than the ocean can erode it, reaching outward into deep water and leaving shallow flats called lagoons or back reefs behind them. With the "help" of hurricane season to pile up rock, they quite literally build and maintain islands. Many of our favorite destinations would be nothing but open ocean if it wasn't
for healthy coral reefs.

Isn't nature wonderful-using symbiotic animal/plants to create tropical paradises for us. Of course, reef building corals don't grow just anywhere. They need warmth, clear water to let the sun shine in, a firm bottom to attach to and a decent amount of current carrying food. When they get these things, they can produce spectacular
ecosystems rich in complexity, biodiversity and color. When they don't, reef growth will slow or stop and the ocean will quickly began to erode the land.

BAD HOMO SAPIENS

Life has evolved to be fairly resilient but we are certainly taxing the planet's reefs. The biggest problems have been pollution, siltation (often from deforestation), direct damage from anchors and careless swimmers, loss of habitats that support reefs (like mangroves and seagrass beds), coastal development and poor fishing
techniques (particularly dynamite and cyanide fishing). Even more alarming, large scale bleachings and die offs have been recorded in recent years, especially in the tropical Pacific. Many scientists believe that global climate change is to blame and things will get worse before they get better, particularly in light of the US backing
away from the Kyoto protocol on greenhouse emissions (Ed.-Canada has agreed to ratify Kyoto in 2002, but support is needed from the provinces, so Canadians should press their provincial government to act.)

What does this mean for the increasing legions of tropical paddlers? We'll have to choose our destinations carefully. What was a fantastic undersea garden of color and light just a year or two ago might now be a blasted, silted or bleached pile of rubble. Hopefully we won't have to visit with a "last chance to see" mentality, spinning tales of how wonderful coral reefs used to be to the next generation of paddlers.

Here are four tips that all of us can try to help preserve the world's coral reefs.

1) Visit and support countries that are actively involved in protecting their reefs- spending vacation dollars on sustainable, responsible ecotourism is a fun way to help and avoid that cooped-up winter feeling.

2) While paddling or snorkeling in the tropics, learn what living coral looks like and don't touch it, kick it with your fins, walk on it or buy pretty chunks of it for your aquarium. Reefs can easily be "loved" to death by careless snorkelers, waders and boaters. Siltation is also an issue-inexperienced snorkelers often stir up clouds of silt that suffocate nearby corals.

3) Back at home, do your part to live more efficiently-even though governments may try to avoid their responsibilities, we can burn less fuel ourselves.

4) Get involved-if you're the active type there are numerous organizations working to save coral reefs and minimize global climate change. Contact them and ask how you can help.

GO SOUTH

Not being the doomsday sort, I'll end this on a more positive note. The idea is that we drag our winter weary butts down south this season to get away from the icy seawater and southeasterly drizzle, and see how many of these corals we can identify. There are plenty of different types including fire corals, soft corals (which often are mistaken for plants) and black corals. Stony (reef building) corals are the most ecologically important and (apart from the first two) this Checklist features them, giving you a chance to get acquainted with the living architects of your vacation destination.If you're new to sea kayaking or the tropics, there are plenty of tour companies that can take you out paddling along some amazing reefs. When you do, you'll simply have to pop on the mask and snorkel and go for a swim. Here are twelve corals to look for if you're in the ever-popular Caribbean.

FURTHER READING

The best field guide to Caribbean corals is Paul Humann's Reef Corals, part of the excellent full color series that includes Fish, Creatures and Behavior.

For an enthusiastic and sobering account of the wonder and state of coral reefs today, read Osha Davidison's The Enchanted Braid - Coming to terms with Nature on the Coral Reef.

© Biologist and guide Bryan Nichols would like to thank a variety of constructive corals for providing him with so many great places to live, work, paddle and dive while avoiding northern winters.

CHECKLIST #21 - Caribbean Corals