Oculina coral is brilliant white when seen beneath the surface. In dense stands it creates a community of natural beauty that nurtures a great abundance of life that strikes a chord of wonder and discovery in many of us. Click image for larger view.

Oculina Bank from a Teacher's Perspective

September 5, 2001

Jody Berman, Educator-at-sea
Biological Scientist
Museum of Discovery and Science
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

View a video of a three-dimensional "fly-though" of Chapman's Reef. (2.4 Mb, QuickTime required.)

As an educator at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale, FL, I have the unique challenge of finding ways to both entertain and educate the public. The key to success in these efforts has been either finding a way to make people see the connection between their everyday lives and the natural world that surrounds them, or generating a sense of discovery or wonder about the organisms with whom we share our planet. While the latter can be effective for some, I believe that the former makes a more lasting impression on most people, especially when framed in a way that they see that each individual can make a difference.

This image clearly shows the likely impact of bottom trawling on Oculina Banks. Note the linear feature at the lower right. On this type of bottom, small linear mounds of coral rubble are created immediately adjacent to the track of the trawl. Click image for larger view.

Upon boarding the Seward Johnson II for our mission to Oculina Bank, I had the sense that this mission would provide an opportunity to use both of these strategies in educating others about this ecosystem and the problems facing it. As deep-water reefs are home to many unique species, living in a place most people would never see, I believed we would gather images that would interest and intrigue people. I also thought that since this was an area that has been heavily impacted by fishing, I would find images that clearly showed that fishing was hurting the ecosystem. I imagined that videos taken from the Clelia would show sharply contrasting images of places that had been harmed and others that had been protected and were intact or showed signs of recovery. These images (and the scientific data that described them) would then make a simple and direct connection between people and this environment, and that would form the basis of my education efforts.

A Complex System

Oculina coral rubble. Oculina Banks is replete with coral in this condition. Click image for larger view.

An intact dead Oculina coral head. While there may be strong evidence that trawling has reduced significant amounts of Oculina to rubble, questions remain regarding other possible causes of mortality such as in this case where the dead Oculina coral head remains intact. Click image for larger view.

Instead, what I found was that this system, like so many others we seek to protect, is more complex than I had first thought. I saw both of the images I had imagined -- reefs that were luxuriant and teeming with life, and areas in which the coral had been reduced to rubble. I also saw areas covered by intact dead coral, however. While the first two fit my pre-conceived notion, the third did not. In addition, while direct evidence of human impacts on the system (trawl marks, fishing line, anchor weights) was observed in many of the rubble areas, in others, we could see no evidence of direct human impacts. Therefore, while scientists on board have compelling evidence that fishing has caused harm to much of the reef, questions remain as to what other factors (either environmental or human-induced) might also be causing the corals to die.

So, I am forced to rethink my first impressions, and find myself reviewing all I have learned about the ecosystem and the problems it is facing. I know that the scientists who discovered the reefs on Oculina Bank in the 1970s described them as luxuriant and healthy ecosystems that covered many miles of substrate off Florida's east coast. The scientists also documented that the reefs supported many different types of organisms and were the spawning grounds of many commercially important species of fish, particularly groupers. These were among the attributes that led to the designation of this region as a marine protected area. Based upon the videos taken on this mission and by my visiting the ecosystem firsthand, however, it is my impression that these areas of rich and luxuriant reefs are less common than they once were. Perhaps simply designating the area as protected is not enough to assure its long term survival; either destructive human activities continue to occur even within the protected areas, causing the damage we observed, or other environmental factors (human or natural) are also causing the reefs to decline.

Jody Berman with two of her students-at-sea. Click image for larger view.

Education Based on Questions

Thus, rather than building an educational program based on answers, I will need to build one based on questions. I must find a way to tell people what the scientists do know, and ask my students and the public at large two sets of questions. The first set would focus on how scientists can best go about proving that human activities in general, and fishing in particular, are causing the decline of these areas even as they are supposed to be protected. The second set would focus on how to translate that scientific knowledge into action that can protect the system and the creatures that depend on it. Taken together, these sets of questions will not only raise public awareness of the issues, but will also provide new understanding of the fragile and valuable resource, along with tangible ways to help protect it.

At the end of my voyage, I am hopeful that this mission, and the ones that follow, will allow scientists to move closer to answering some of the questions we have before us today. I know that I will keep challenging people to think about the system and to ask questions. I say this because I would like to believe that if people understood these ecosystems, then we would not have to worry about whether these reefs, and the creature that depend on them, will be here for generations to come. After all, I can't think of a better ending to my story than to bring my children here in the future and see the ecosystem healthy again.