FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — South Florida researchers trying to prevent predatory fish from devouring laboratory-grown coral are grasping at biodegradable straws in an effort to restore what some call the rainforest of the sea.
Scientists around the world have been working for years to address the decline of coral reef populations. Just last summer, reef rescue groups in South Florida and the Florida Keys were trying to save coral from rising ocean temperatures. Besides working to keep existing coral alive, researchers have also been growing new coral in labs and then placing them in the ocean.
But protecting the underwater ecosystem that maintains upwards of 25% of all marine species is not easy. Even more challenging is making sure that coral grown in a laboratory and placed into the ocean doesn't become expensive fish food.
Marine researcher Kyle Pisano said one problem is that predators like parrot fish attempt to bite and destroy the newly transplanted coral in areas like South Florida, leaving them with less than a 40% survival rate. With projects calling for thousands of coral to be planted over the next year and tens of thousands of coral to be planted over the next decade, the losses add up when coral pieces can cost more than $100 each.
Pisano and his partner, Kirk Dotson, have developed the Coral Fort, claiming the small biodegradable cage that's made in part with drinking straws boosts the survival rate of transplanted coral to over 90%.
"Parrot fish on the reef really, really enjoy biting a newly transplanted coral," Pisano said. “They treat it kind of like popcorn."
Fortunately the fish eventually lose interest in the coral as it matures, but scientists need to protect the coral in the meantime. Stainless steel and PVC pipe barriers have been set up around transplanted coral in the past, but those barriers needed to be cleaned of algae growth and eventually removed.
Pisano had the idea of creating a protective barrier that would eventually dissolve, eliminating the need to maintain or remove it. He began conducting offshore experiments with biodegradable coral cages as part of a master’s degree program at Nova Southeastern University. He used a substance called polyhydroxyalkanoate, a biopolymer derived from the fermentation of canola oil. PHA biodegrades in ocean, leaving only water and carbon dioxide. His findings were published last year.
The coral cage consists of a limestone disc surrounded by eight vertical phade brand drinking straws, made by Atlanta-based WinCup Inc. The device doesn't have a top, Pisano said, because the juvenile coral needs sunlight and the parrot fish don't generally want to position themselves facing downward to eat.
Dotson, a retired aerospace engineer, met Pisano through his professor at Nova Southeastern, and the two formed Reef Fortify Inc. to further develop and market the patent-pending Coral Fort. The first batch of cages were priced at $12 each, but Pisano and Dotson believe that could change as production scales up.
Early prototypes of the cage made from phade's standard drinking straws were able to protect the coral for about two months before dissolving in the ocean, but that wasn't quite long enough to outlast the interest of parrot fish. When Pisano and Dotson reached out to phade for help, the company assured them that it could make virtually any custom shape from its biodegradable PHA material.
“But it’s turning out that the boba straws, straight out of the box, work just fine,” Dotson said.
Boba straws are wider and thicker than normal drinking straws. They're used for a tea-based drink that includes tapioca balls at the bottom of the cup. For Pisano and Dotson, that extra thickness means the straws last just long enough to protect the growing coral before harmlessly disappearing.
Reef Fortify is hoping to work with reef restoration projects all over the world. The Coral Forts already already being used by researchers at Nova Southeastern and the University of Miami, as well as Hawaii's Division of Aquatic Resources.
Rich Karp, a coral researcher at the University of Miami, said they've been using the Coral Forts for about a month. He pointed out that doing any work underwater takes a great deal of time and effort, so having a protective cage that dissolves when it's no longer needed basically cuts their work in half.
"Simply caging corals and then removing the cages later, that’s two times the amount of work, two times the amount of bottom time," Karp said. "And it’s not really scalable.”
Experts say coral reefs are a significant part of the oceanic ecosystem. They occupy less than 1% of the ocean worldwide but provide food and shelter to nearly 25 percent of sea life. Coral reefs also help to protect humans and their homes along the coastline from storm surges during hurricanes.
FAQs
Boba straws are wider and thicker than normal drinking straws. They're used for a tea-based drink that includes tapioca balls at the bottom of the cup. For Pisano and Dotson, that extra thickness means the straws last just long enough to protect the growing coral before harmlessly disappearing.
How long do biodegradable straws last? ›
The team found that after 16 weeks, paper, CDA and PHA straws lost 25-50% of their initial weights. The researchers projected that these degradable straws should fully disintegrate in coastal oceans within 10 months for paper, 15 months for PHA and 20 months for CDA.
What is the science behind coral bleaching? ›
When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. This is called coral bleaching.
What is the main cause of coral bleaching? ›
The leading cause of coral bleaching is climate change. A warming planet means a warming ocean, and a change in water temperature—as little as 2 degrees Fahrenheit—can cause coral to drive out algae. Coral may bleach for other reasons, like extremely low tides, pollution, or too much sunlight.
Is the coral reef dying? ›
Globally, coral reefs have declined by half since the 1950s, largely due to climate change. Indeed, the leading scientific authority on climate change suggests that if the world warms by 1.5 degrees Celsius, relative to pre-industrial times, coral reefs could decline by 70 percent to 90 percent.
Are biodegradable straws OK? ›
Conclusion. In conclusion, biodegradable straws are a sustainable alternative to plastic that offer numerous benefits for the environment. Reed straws and wheat straws are made from natural materials and break down quickly without harming wildlife or polluting our oceans.
Are biodegradable straws reusable? ›
Compostable straws are often single-use straws. You can only reuse them a couple of times during a day or a maximum of up to a week. Plus, these straws are made from natural materials, so if you put strong enough pressure on them, they will break easily.
Why is coral dying? ›
Data from NASA and other institutions show that the global decline in coral reefs is mainly driven by climate change and other human actions, including pollution. While some corals survive even under harsh conditions, scientists emphasize the importance of taking action to better protect and manage reefs.
What is killing coral reefs? ›
Pollution, overfishing, destructive fishing practices using dynamite or cyanide, collecting live corals for the aquarium market, mining coral for building materials, and a warming climate are some of the many ways that people damage reefs all around the world every day.
What does dead coral look like? ›
Stony coral that is no longer covered in coral tissue often becomes covered in algae giving it a grey or reddish tinge. Over time other reef organisms may begin growing on the dead coral, but once the coral tissue has died it will not return.
Bleached corals are not dead but are more at risk of starvation and disease. Corals can recover from bleaching over time, but only when stressors are reduced, such as if temperatures drop and conditions return to normal.
What does healthy coral look like? ›
A healthy reef is not colourful. It's mostly muted greens, blues and yellows. A healthy reef is structurally very complex. It is highly three-dimensional and intricate.
Is coral bleaching bad? ›
Bleached corals are likely to have reduced growth rates, decreased reproductive capacity, increased susceptibility to diseases and elevated mortality rates. Changes in coral community composition can occur when more susceptible species are killed by bleaching events.
Is Great Barrier Reef still alive? ›
Is the Great Barrier Reef dead? No. The Great Barrier Reef is made up of 3,000 reefs and is home to thousands of species of marine life.
Is Great Barrier Reef dying? ›
Both aerial and in-water surveys have shown that the southern section of the Great Barrier Reef is undergoing extensive coral bleaching. Surveys have also shown “limited bleaching” in the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef.
How deep is the Great Barrier Reef? ›
While the average depth of the Great Barrier Reef hovers around 35 metres, the Continental Shelf drops to depths of more than 2,000 metres, making it a hotbed of marine life activity.
What are the disadvantages of biodegradable straws? ›
Cons: They only decompose if disposed of properly and treated like compost, meaning throwing them into landfill will cause the same issues plastic straws do; while they are cheaper than many other alternatives, they can cost up to 10 times more than traditional plastic; some biodegradable materials are known to ...
What are the cons of biodegradable straws? ›
What are the pros and cons of paper straws? The only pro I can come up with is that they are more biodegradable than plastic. The cons include but not limited to the fact they are more expensive, harder to produce, require cutting down trees and don't work as well as plastic.
What are the drawbacks of compostable straws? ›
While these straws are more environmentally friendly than conventional plastic, their reliance on industrial composting means they cannot decompose in a home composting setup and require collection and transport to a suitable facility.
Can plastic straws take up to 200 years to decompose? ›
Decomposition of Straws and Other Plastics
It may come as a surprise, but plastic straws can take two hundred years to decompose. That is a very long time, especially when you consider that Americans, according to NPS.Gov, use roughly 500 million straws per day.
