Coral Reef Problems and Issues


Google Earth View / Togcha Channel & Jeff’s Pirates Cove	View of the surrounding Region of Ipan-Talofofo next to JPC	Baza Garden Treatment Plant - probable source of Sewage Effluent entering Togcha reef area
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Natural marine macro algae Caulerpa sp. at Togcha reef	Natural marine macro algae Halimeda sp. at Togcha reef	Cyanobacteria – “Blue-Green Algae” (purplish/gray tuff algae)
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Cyanobacteria – “Blue-Green Algae” – competing for growth space with the natural occurring macro algae	Cyanobacteria – “Blue-Green Algae” – covering the Halimeda algae	Cyanobacteria – “Blue-Green Algae” – covering the Halimeda algae in a ‘garden look’
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Hard coral competing for survival space as the Blue-Green algae grows around it	Hard coral being smothered by the algae growth around it and the sand as well	Hard coral colony with fish and other flora & fauna about it – still surviving at the Togcha reef in front of JPC
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The same coral colony with a foreground of Blue-Green algae growth on top of another smaller coral colony	Coral colonies on Togcha reef with evidence of Blue-Green algae growth starting to invade	Hard coral Porites sp. ‘micro-atoll’ top portion with profuse Blue-Green algae growth
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The final result after profuse Blue-Green algae growth that kills natural occurring flora and fauna – Dead Zone!	As the Blue-Green algae grows, the extra growth eventually detaches from the reef bottom and floats to the surface to be carried away by tidal, wave force-direction, and wind force	The profuse ‘gardens’ of Blue-Green algae of Togcha’s reef bottom collects in large aggregations and floats to the shore line
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Another view of the floating Blue-Green algae as it comes ashore from the ‘gardens’	As the Blue-Green algae is deposited on the beach, it starts to form thick, gelatinous masses. If stepped on by tourists they can fall and sustain personal injury	Rocks on the beach also tend to assist in the gathering of the Blue-Green algae mass
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This collection of blue-green algae will eventually reach a dry part of the beach to start to rot and smell	An impressive collection of the Blue-Green algae that will take perhaps 4 to 5 hours for JPC staff to remove in order to allow tourists to enter the beach and water each day	This collection of the Blue-Green algae was photographed in March 3rd 2008
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The slimy and ‘pulp’ nature of the Blue-Green algae appears similar to solid sewage	The gentle wave force slowly deposits the Blue-Green algae mass on the JPC beach and begins to decompose / rot	When the same algae begins to mix with other debris it makes it more difficult to remove
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This mixture will dry into a thick, sticky mass that further adds to the removal difficulty as sand must also be removed and taken away	As the sun and air works on the exposed Blue-Green algae, the rot will then attract insects that often land on tourists, their food & beverage, and children playing nearby	The Blue-Green algae rotting mass observed by Jeff Pleadwell and a local environmental scientist in front of his Cove facilities
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The only recourse to ensure tourist patronage continues at the Cove is to physically remove the rotting Blue-Green algae mass by hand	Since 1998, the Cove has expended approximately $16,000 per year in manpower time, equipment, and depreciated tools/equipment to clean the Blue-Green algae off the beach	Jeff Pleadwell putting in his own personal time to clean the beach of the rotting algae
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Rosanne Pleadwell also helping out	Jeff at it again and again and again…for an intense 10 years..but the events have been going on for 25 years	The Blue-Green algae is gathered in small mounds for easier transport off the beach
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The mounds also include a large percentage of beach sand mixed with the rotting, slimy algae masses	JPC Staff that are hired primarily to help operate the daily activities associated with Jeff’s Pirates Cove restaurant, gift shop, and tourist amenities are used here to clean the beach	JPC Staff must be paid a legal wage to remove this ‘environmental effect’ – since 1998 it has cost approximately US$ 160,000.00 to undertake this cleanup work
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Staff undertaking this work may be at risk to the JPC business if staff are injured or affected by this work	During periods of heavy deposition of the Blue-Green algae mass, this work will be a daily exercise early in the morning so that JPC clientele can be assured of a clean, safe, and presentable beach for recreational activities	The Blue-Green algae is finally piled off the beach into large piles for compositing and further decomposition
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