Coral Bleaching reports on Great Barrier Reef misleading: Port Douglas Operators
Published Thursday 31 March 2016
PORT Douglas tourism operators have questioned reports claiming coral bleaching has affected most of the Great Barrier Reef.
Following a damning 7.30 program which suggested 95 per cent of the reef was damaged and half the bleached coral could die, tourismPORTDOUGLAS.com.au Managing Director Sam Cullen confirmed his office had received a number calls from concerned tourists regarding the quality of reef tours they had booked.
Calypso Reef Cruises Operations Manager Chris Jones said the recent hysteria was harmful to the region and the condition on Far North Queensland reefs, especially near Cairns and Port Douglas, was being blown out of proportion.
“It’s more an issue of what they’re saying and the damage it’s going to do to tourism in the whole industry,” Jones said.
“Scientists are saying most of the reef is affected in the far north and out of that 50 per cent is going to die, and that's just not true. We are not seeing 95 per cent coverage of coral bleaching, you are seeing patches of it up in the shallows, but that's it.”
Jones said bleaching had not affected any of the cruises on the Calypso fleet and the company was running to their normal sites.
He believed recent speculation gave people the impression coral bleaching was a new phenomenon.
“We talk about coral bleaching every day, just as we talk about crown-of-thorns starfish and cyclone damage as threats to the reef,” Jones said.
“That’s done everyday during the reef chat on the boat so people are made aware that these things do threaten the reef, so it’s something that is always talked about.
“I have worked on the reef for 16 years and it’s better now than when I started. What some of the scientists are saying is damaging to our business and is damaging to the area.”
Professor Terry Hughes, a coral reef expert from James Cook University in Townsville, told 7.30 on Tuesday night the majority of the reef in Far North Queensland was severely bleached and it would ‘change the Great Barrier Reef forever’. He also predicted around half the affected coral would die.
However, Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree (TPDD) Executive Officer Tara Bennett said it was important to note the last significant coral bleaching incident occurred in 1998 with high recovery levels.
“More than a thousand visitors are currently experiencing the reef daily from Port Douglas,” Bennett said.
“We're currently seeking daily feedback from operators on the sites they are visiting and what, if any, level of coral bleaching they are seeing. To date, there has been minimal bleaching reported.
“The Great Barrier Reef is the best managed marine park in the world and we will continue to promote the outstanding natural asset that is ours to protect and share with guests from around the world.”
Media reports on the reef, which is estimated to pour more than $6 billion into the Australian economy, have made worldwide headlines in recent weeks.
Jones believed aeriel views of coral bleaching were misleading due to the heavy amount of rainfall and the higher water temperatures at this time of year.
He said aerial surveys were unlikely to detect all pascal colours of the reef, especially pink.
“The reef is millions of years old and has recovered from these sorts of things time and time again,” Jones said.
“Coral does adapt to climate change, and it’s rain that's affecting it as well.
"We’ve had a very still summer and then a huge amount of fresh water dumped on top of the reef recently which could cause a lot of what they’re seeing form the air.
"When the fresh water mixes in with hot salt water it causes the coral to stress out.”
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority confirmed it would conduct its own in-water surveys over the next fortnight to determine the true amount of coral bleaching.
