Hawaii welcomes you to a colourful world under water. The coral reef in Hawaii is spread over 1200 miles in the Pacific Ocean and invites tourists from around the world who go scuba diving and snorkelling to catch a glimpse of this impeccable beauty. It is unique and tourists throng here to spot coral species which cannot be spotted anywhere on this planet
Coral are living animals. They are born, they grow and they reproduce and then die. The reef plays a major role in our food chain. It protects the fish and gives it a habitat. It also acts as the major source of food for the fishes. The alga produces oxygen to support marine life. Studies show that the amount of oxygen that the alga produces is more than the amount of oxygen that is produced in the atmosphere by all the trees combined. The reef also holds the soil and stops it from eroding. It dissipates the wave energy and limits the impact of strong waves.
However, too much of human intervention is threatening the coral life .The growing population and the pollution created due to it makes it difficult for the corals to survive. This has a very big impact on the marine life. With the rise in the number of tourists visiting Hawaii year on year and trying various water sports, the coral reefs get damaged. The degradation began a number of years ago and it is time to check and control it so that further harm is not done.
Due to urbanisation, there are huge deposits of chemicals formed on the sea which does not let sunlight penetrate through them. The corals need sunlight as the main ingredient to produce food. Due to the scarcity of sunlight they are not able to manufacture enough food and thus shrivel up and die. Fishing is practised as a recreation sport in Hawaii. But this has a major impact on the coral life and completely disturbs the balance of the marine life.
Tourism drives the maximum revenue in Hawaii. Thus the government promotes various adventure activities like snorkelling, scuba diving and swimming. The debris that is thrown accidently in the water poses a threat to the coral life. Humans may unknowingly tend to step over the corals while enjoying the water sport which kills the corals under their feet
Fishing to adore your aquarium may be fascinating .But you need to understand the harm that it does to the coral life. Also the introduction of alien species in the water poses a problem. They overgrow and kill the corals.
The Hawaii government realises the importance of protecting corals to balance the ecosystem. They have realised the harm that the depleting corals can cause to the environment. Many parts of the ocean are completely out of public reach or are limited to the number of tourists that can visit the place at a time. There are marine life conservation districts like the Hanauma Bay. A Hawaiian Island Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve had been created in the north-western Hawaiian island. This was passed by the President to conserve coral life
Some basic steps can even be taken at home to safeguard the corals. One could volunteer to clean the beaches and limit the usage of pesticide and fertilizers. Simple things like not throwing waste in the water can go a long way to protect this species.