BARBADOS (Commonwealth Union)_At the University of the West Indies in Cave Hill, Barbados, the researchers have been assessing the coral reef for the government as often as financing allows, which is every five years. The researchers keep an eye on the diversity and number of fish, algae, sponges, and corals.
Due to overfishing, Barbados no longer contains populations of huge fish like groupers and snapper. The parrotfish population, the most significant ecological and commercial species on Barbados, has appeared constant over the previous ten years.
Globally, reefs are under danger, and the greatest coral losses in this area happened in the 1970s and 1980s. The shallow reefs have stabilised since the 1990s, but the deeper reefs have continued to decline. Additionally, populations of algae and sponges, which when overabundant, can harm corals, have gradually increased in the deeper reefs.
However, there are encouraging indicators. Acropora cervicornis, or staghorn corals, are slowly making a comeback after nearly going extinct in this area in the 1970s. The water temperature when this picture was shot was 28 or 29 degrees Celsius.
In two months, the researchers examined 43 locations by performing one to two dives daily, three times per week. They dove together as a group of four; they worked like a well-oiled machine. They needed to be aware of what is happening in a world that is changing quickly, thus it could be beneficial if polls could be conducted more frequently.
However, there isn’t enough money. New technology can still create 3D models of reefs. They’ll likely be using those tools within the next ten years when they become more inexpensive. With the same resources, they could then monitor more sites more frequently. Funding is the most limiting factor for this kind of research, and it is the most crucial resource.
