Michael C. Barnette
- Thread starter MarkLaymon
- Start date
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Oculina Bank - is the coral dying?
Michael C. Barnette
Footage from a December 4, 2021, dive to Jeff's Reef on Oculina Bank, approximately 17 nautical miles east of Ft. Pierce, Florida. Compared to footage from the 1980s and 1990s, healthy coral coverage on the ridges appears significantly reduced. While there are small clumps of live Oculina varicosa, known as ivory tree coral, spread about the area, there are also a large number of dying clusters. Unlike shallow-water coral that turns white when dead (known as bleaching), deep-water Oculina varicosa coral is stark white when alive and healthy. It is unclear what is responsible for the impacts: natural succession of the coral (boom-bust cycle), recent water discharges from Lake Okeechobee, recent hurricanes (e.g., Matthew in 2016), or some other cause. Given the amount of intact dead/dying coral clusters, impacts from fishing does not seem suspect in this case (though fishery-related impacts are well documented to Oculina habitat).
