Coral reef that 'shouldn't exist' thrives off B.C.'s Pacific Ocean, biologist says
Coral reef that 'shouldn't exist' thrives off B.C.'s Pacific Ocean, biologist says
VANCOUVER – It started with a tip from the local First Nation of a “bump on the sea floor” where the fish liked to be and led to the discovery of Canada’s only known live coral...
Is this considered a good thing? Like obviously the reason they're moving is bad but the fact they are means at least some species are adjusting and maybe we can have a little biodiversity as a treat yeah?
Kind of a mixed bag. They shouldn't be able to survive here because it should be too cold. But more coral reefs are better.
So,
Good: More reefs
Bad: Our water shouldn't be warm enough for them.
So I think there is a bit of unfortunate wording and lack of context in this article.
the "Shouldn't exist" quote doesn't seem to be attributed to any scientist or fisherman, and I suspect is an editorial comment from someone who associates coral with the tropics.
Have a look at species like Paragorgia arborea or the Primnoisis corals, which are both common in BC waters, and even in Alaska. Much further north.
Even in the article they indicate that the threats to these species in our waters are increasing temperatures and interactions with fishing gear, because they are cold-water, low-light corals.
Lessons of the day:
Cold-water, deep sea corals exist.
They aren't here because of global warming, but they could be threatened by it.
Because of where they are, they are poorly understood and reefs of them are still being discovered.
I suspect finding coral reefs this far North will become a lot more common in the near future.