In the Remote Pacific, Glimpses of Pristine Corals

Stuart Sandin - 

Last night, sitting on the deck of the ship, I smelled fire. Not a fire that would cause the captain of the Hanse Explorer to sound the alarm, but fire from the island off our starboard side. The people of Tabuaeran — which is also known as Fanning Island — were stoking the flames to cook fish that they had caught from the surrounding coral reefs earlier in the day. This was the first time I had smelled smoke during this expedition.

Our team is in the midst of a monthlong research cruise in the Line Islands, an archipelago in the remote central Pacific. According to many metrics, these islands are among the most isolated on the planet, and they depend on the already-remote islands of Hawaii as nearest port of refuge. (Mind you that Honolulu is more than 1,200 miles to the north of us.) We are here to study the ecology of coral reefs, taking a holistic perspective of each of the major biological players on the reef —the fish, corals, algae, and even the bacteria and viruses — and estimating how fast each of these groups grows.

Why, you may ask, did we travel so far to study growth rates on coral reefs? There are certainly simpler ways to reach coral reefs than by chartering a 158-foot yacht and spending the greater part of a year arranging the logistics. The answer lies specifically in the location’s remoteness. The Line Islands have been difficult to reach for all of human history, and as such have remained largely outside the influence of people. It is here in the Line Islands that we have a chance to study the basics of coral reef ecology, not simply the remains of coral reef ecology. The reefs here have not collapsed, and the hand of humans is somewhere between light and nil. It is surprising how rare it is to study coral reefs without lamenting solely what has been lost.

If you read reports about coral reefs, the news is typically bad. Reef fisheries are collapsing due to overexploitation. Seaweeds are growing out of control when too much pollution is dumped, often leading to the spread of invasive species. And when the seawater gets too warm (as happens during intensive El Nino events), the corals can go into a form of heat shock and die. Fishing, pollution, and climate change are the main stories on coral reefs, and we are trying to prevent these culprits from killing all reefs before our children or grandchildren get to enjoy them. But in order to manage coral reefs in the presence of people, we have to understand how coral reefs work in the absence of people. The Line Islands give us a rare opportunity to do so.

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Photo Jennifer Smith

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