Impact of Recreational Divers on Scleractinian Corals at Looe Key, Florida
Talge H. Impact of Recreational Divers on Scleractinian Corals at Looe Key, Florida
Recreational diver impacts on scleractinian corals were evaluated by quantifying diver interactions and by experimentally "touching" corals. Twelve coral species were subjected to four types of impacts for ten weeks. No corals died. Histological studies revealed no changes in morphology, composition of tissue or cells nor in reproductive cycles. Systematic observations of 206 divers revealed that the average diver touched or finned living coral 10 times per dive trip. Comparisons of frequency and area of coral tissue touched to the amount of live coral cover in high use areas indicate that 4-6% of the corals are touched each week by the dive population.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Talge, Helen
- Units
- SFCN
- Keywords
- Breaking, Damage, diving, Human Impact, snorkel, Touching