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September 2011 E-Current

E-Current
September 2011

In This Issue: Photo Contest Winner • Introducing Jason Vasques • Sharks for the Future • CORAL on Bloomberg TV

Featured Location: Honduras
Exciting Coral Discovery CORAL recently partnered with the Healthy Reefs Initiative to assess coral reef health in Honduras. During the assessment, the team made an exciting and important discovery: previously unknown stands of healthy coral! The average live coral cover in the Caribbean today is less than 20%, but at newly explored Capiro Banks, located off the mainland town of Tela, the figure is a whopping 69%. Furthermore, the area boasts an unusually high concentration of Diadema sea urchins, important reef grazers whose populations plummeted in the 1980s. CORAL and our partners presented the findings to the mayor of Tela and the Honduras Vice-Minister of Tourism, using the new discovery to strengthen the case for expanding current marine protection measures.
Learn more about our work in Honduras »

Help the Reefs Quick Tip
A study released this month showed that 28,000 kilograms of pesticides enter the Great Barrier Reef annually! You can help coral reefs by choosing foods that are grown without the use of pesticides.
More on our site »

Coral Reefs in the News

UH Researcher Discerns Why Corals Struggle in Increasingly Acidic Seas
Source: The Honolulu Star Advertiser

Fish Help Reefs Rebound from Coral Bleaching
Source: ABC News Australia

Human Excrement to Blame for Coral Decline
Source: ScienceNOW

Soft Coral Builds Strong Reefs
Source: ScienceDaily

Great Barrier Reef Report Card Released
Source: Herald Sun

More News...

Hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys sp.), Sri Lanka

Did You Select the 2012 CORAL Calendar Cover Photo? »
Hundreds of you weighed in to select Jeff Yonover's colorful Fiji reef scene as the cover of this year's calendar. Make sure you get your copy by becoming a Friend of the Reef. Our monthly donors help sustain our critical coral conservation programs—and get a copy of the calendar to boot! Join now!

	Photo Contest Winner Announced! Congratulations to Naren Gunasekera from Woodland, California, who is this month's winner of the E-Current Photo Contest. Naren had to work quickly while diving in Sri Lanka to capture both of these hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys sp.) in the same frame. Click below to download Naren's image as your desktop wallpaper and learn more about the photo contest. Download the photo »

	Jason Vasques Joins the CORAL Team We're delighted to welcome the newest member of our headquarters staff! Jason Vasques has joined the CORAL team as Assistant Director of Conservation Programs. Jason's wealth of experience in marine conservation planning and coral reef field studies is already proving to be a great asset to the organization. We invite you to get to know Jason as he talks on camera about his role here at CORAL. Meet Jason »

	Sharks for the Future Campaign Launches We're kicking off our Sharks for the Future campaign in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, and you can learn all about it in our new regular blog posts on the Save Our Seas Foundation website. We'll be posting monthly updates from the field to give you an inside look at our work to protect apex predators in one of the most important coral reef regions on the planet. Check out our first post! Read the blog »

	CORAL Advocates for Reefs on Bloomberg TV CORAL's Rick MacPherson appeared in a recent edition of the Bloomberg TV news show energyNOW! to explain why coral reef conservation is so critical. Watch the segment to travel to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, visit the Heron Island Research Station, and see lovely coral reef footage taken both above and below the water. Watch the feature »

**Shark Hope Is Coming!** Check out the teaser for our upcoming documentary, Shark Hope, which will support our shark sanctuary campaign in Fiji. Watch the teaser »

* Photo Credits and Notes:
Banner Photo: Harlequin Shrimp (Hymenocera elegans)
Photographer: Alex Varani
Large Center Photo: Hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys sp.), Sri Lanka
Photographer: Naren Gunasekera
Left Side Photo: CORAL and the Healthy Reefs Initiative present recent coral reef assessment findings in Honduras.
Photographer: Roberto Pott
Thumbnails: 1) Naren Gunasekera; 2) Photo courtesy of Jason Vasques; 3) Rodolphe Holler; 4) Jeff Yonover

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September 2011 E-Current

Coral Reefs in the News

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