Coral Reef Destruction 2013

The tsunami 2004 devastated the coastlines of the Indian Ocean, but in Pakistan the effects of the tsunami were somewhat different. The aftermath of the Tsunami brought with it a new spawn of different species of corals from neighbouring coral reefs. The mass migrated offspring started to clone and formed new reefs at an incredible speed. During the last nine years over 60 new species have been flourishing here and serious efforts are required to observe and document this new eon.

Recently we noticed a new threat to our newly growing coral reef. The invasion of student from different colleges and universities (boys and girls) started exploring our beautiful emerald green water near the Churna island, I often see them cliff jumping and I admire their courage to jump into the unknown and hope no nasty accident ever take place.

But one thing is not making me happy, and you can imagine what could be more distressing than watching Corals head being slapped by the young Swimmer’s kicking/snorkelers finning, cliff rider’s walking and crushing the delicate Marine life.

 I am sure this all be happening in total ignorance, the type of the damage causing to baby corals and micro marine life is irrevocable. Groups leave a trail of damaging scars on the reef, which means the growth of decade being damaged in a couple of hour of fun by the Students from reputable universities of Karachi in total ignorance.

The worst thing they are actually kicking the heads of the delicate branch corals not giving a chance recover from the serious injuries, by the time they finish and back in to their boat and enjoy their delicious lunch. Life of many will never return back…

Please do not take this advice negatively, I am only trying to help you to understand how important it is to have coral reef, this is the nursery of future generation our delicate CORAL REEF is our heriatage, we should together try to save it.

So My request to all my young friends “Learn Snorkelling appropriately in swimming pool environment” and Jump in the sea when you master in your bouncy  control I am sure you would have better fun watching the gorgeous fauna and flora, taking pictures, have fun, and Hurt no OneJ

Responsible attitude towards marine life is an important factor and it has been noticed that careless divers and those who use Harpoon Guns for killing the coral fishes are destroying precious marine life. Divers can contribute towards the protection of the natural environment by learning how to control their buoyancy and not land roughly on the sea bed as they can damage the coral reef or rare aquatic plants that takes years to grow.

Aquatic animals are not aggressive unless provoked. For that matter even sharks are harmless if you remain calm on your part.

To avoid potential problems with aquatic animals, the divers manual offer some guide lines: “Treat all animals with respect”.

Ø  Never tease or intentionally disturb them.

Ø  Avoid wearing shiny, dangling jewellery that may attract the interest of some animals.

Ø  Wear an exposure suit to avoid sting and cuts.

Ø  Establish neutral buoyancy to keep off the bottom..

Ø  Marine life could be further protected by educating fishermen and making them aware of this aspect.

Cheers

Yousuf Ali

0300 219 0304