Let’s travel to the island of Maui, Hawai‘i—a place of natural beauty, rich culture, and of course, vibrant coral reefs that we work tirelessly to protect. In 2022, we have advanced our watershed restoration project in West Maui, which focuses on decreasing sediment runoff that reaches coral reefs. West Maui used to have an abundance… Continue Reading →
Did you know there’s a fish tank that produces tasty vegetables, can create economic opportunities, and helps protect coral reefs? It’s called an aquaponics system, and it combines aquaculture and hydroponics to raise fish and grow organic fruits and vegetables. An aquaponics system relies on a symbiotic relationship between fish and plants. Fish waste fertilizes… Continue Reading →
Think back to 2020—hospital visits rose as COVID cases climbed, borders closed, businesses and schools shut down, and people panicked. The world we once knew spun upside down in a matter of days. And like so many, ocean conservation organizations, which depend highly on tourism revenue, suddenly faced unprecedented challenges as they worked to protect… Continue Reading →
With an almost 500% increase in fish biomass, a successful “closed fishing season” in Tela Bay, Honduras is offering relief to both community fishers and nearby coral reefs. Recently, the proper funding and on-the-ground support has allowed the Tela community to effectively carry-out a two-month closed fishing season in coastal lagoons and enforce sustainable fishing… Continue Reading →
Do you smell that? It’s the stench of rotting eggs…lingering for half a mile inland from the Caribbean shoreline. It’s a stinky reality of this year’s sargassum bloom, or in other words, the overload of seaweed that is washing up on beaches in parts of Mexico, Honduras, Belize, and other nearby areas. What is Sargassum?… Continue Reading →
Sandy white beaches, turquoise waters, and vibrant coral reefs—it’s the type of travel destination that many of us dream of. Vacation season is quickly approaching and soon, millions of eager tourists will pack their bags and flock to some of the world’s most beautiful, sought-after destinations. But increased popularity means many of the natural resources… Continue Reading →
Erica Perez, CORAL’s Senior Program Manager on Hawai’i Island, just wrapped up her time as a mentor during the new Wastewater Pollution course led by our partner the Reef Resilience Network (RRN). Perez played an active role in helping students understand the threats of wastewater pollution on coral reefs and implement effective strategies to mitigate… Continue Reading →
Local scientists from CORAL and the Healthy Reefs Initiative (HRI) made an exciting, new discovery during this year’s coral reef monitoring in Trujillo, Honduras. With the help of nearby fishers, they found multiple sites of new coral reefs that have not previously been monitored or studied by the local scientific community. For a while, local… Continue Reading →
Tela Bay, Honduras—Recent monitoring data collected from Los Micos Lagoon demonstrated a 483 percent increase in fish biomass after a closed fishing season in 2021, signifying both higher quantities and larger sizes of fish. Likewise, it showed an increase in diversity of species and trophic levels. Los Micos Lagoon often suffers from overfishing, impacting populations… Continue Reading →