Reef to be Built Under Fishermen’s Initiative to Save By PEGGY ANN BLISS San Juan Star This is not a tall tale by an imaginative fi sherman; this is a true story that shows how turnabout is fair play. The collaboration between the Puerto Rico government and private enterprise to save a coral reef at Lucia Beach in Yabucoa grew out of an idea proposed by area fi shermen and facilitated by the commonwealth Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER). On average, live coral in the Caribbean has dropped to 8 percent of reefs today, compared with more than 50 percent in the 1970s. DNER Secretary Carmen R. Guerrero Pérez called the idea benefi cial for the marine eco-system and the socio-economic development of the entire eastern zone. Oceanographer/physicist Alfredo Torruella, in charge of the design of the artifi cial reef, said this is the fi rst of this type of project proposed by the fi shermen. Normally, he said, it is necessary to educate fi shermen, but this time it is the other way around. The project initiated by the Juan Sánchez Rivera Fishermen’s Association was recognized by Guerrero Pérez as “a model of collaboration and commitment among the fi shermen with local and federal agencies, academic and private sectors.” “The Department will commit all its coral-reef experts to the effort,” she said in a written statement. Fishermen’s Association President Héctor Padró said distributors of oil and gasoline had seriously damaged the reefs, “destroying thousands of marine animals and endangering the reproduction of marine species.” “This project will be a success for Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and will serve as an example for the entire world,” Torruella said. “That it came from the fi shermen is marvelous.” He said he will make a map to understand the dynamics of the sea and determine the appropriate design and location for the artifi cial reefs. “Cement models with holes are created to which pieces of coral which have broken off naturally attach themselves,” Torruella said. “Then they settle at the bottom of the ocean and the reef continues growing, keeping the same characteristics of a natural reef. In this way, the fi sh attach themselves and colonize the zone.” Padró said the project is to improve the marine environment to be used for educational and research purposes as well as for the enjoyment of the public. Several eco-friendly buildings will be built for the fi shermen’s use. Recreational facilities and amenities for people with special needs, such as kayaks for people in wheelchairs, will also be installed. Coral reefs are highly diverse ecosystems vital to humans in the tropics. Occupying less than one quarter of 1 percent of the marine environment, coral reefs are home to more than 25 percent of all known marine fi sh species. Reefs have been bleached because of global warming, and have been subject to human pressures such as overfi shing and destructive fi shing practices, mining
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 09:23:09 +0000
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