Over two hundred million humans depend for their subsistence on the fact that coral has an addiction to ‘junk food’ - and orders its partners, the symbiotic algae, to make it.

A beautiful black, white and yellow butterflyfish, much admired by eco-tourists, divers and aquarium keepers alike, may be at risk of extinction, scientists have warned.

How can the biggest living thing on the planet survive almost anything? How did it get to be so big? And who really is the biggest killer on the reef?

Scientists have released an updated version of the “Red List”. The red list is a guide to the world’s most endangered plants and animals. One thing that I was surprised to see is that the Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) is amongst the new additions to the list. It is believed that over fishing from the aquarium industry has caused the drop in wild numbers of this species to the point where it needs protecting. The reason for my surprise at this news is that I regularly see the documentation of successful captive breeding of this fish and have seen captive raised specimens for sale in my local area and there is really no need for there to be so much pressure on this species in the wild.

Leading on from the last post, here is a very interesting press release from: Florida Institute of Technology

An international team of scientists working on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR) has found a clear link between coral disease and warmer ocean temperatures.

The reefs of the Chagos archipelago cover an area of tropical sea called the British Indian Ocean Territory, located South of the Maldives. They are the most isolated group of islands in the world and remain largely unpopulated.

Reef Check is an international program that works with communities, governments and businesses to scientifically monitor, restore and maintain coral reef health. Recently, Reef Check visited Cabo Pulmo to investigate local monitoring efforts.

Marine biologists at Pacific University, US, are studying the relationship between pathogens and their host in lower vertebrates and invertebrates during activity and recovery to establish if infectious disease can compromise the respiratory system of invertibrates.

Lundy island, located off the coast of North Devon, at the mouth of the Bristol chanel, is home to a diverse array of marine creatures. In 2003, restrictions were put in place to relieve pressure put on the habitat by fishermen as an attempt to help replenish natural fish and shellfish stocks in the area.