For a long time, little was known about the vibrant cold-water coral gardens along Alaska’s seafloor. These hidden marine habitats weren’t given much attention until a couple of decades ago. Today, an environment-oriented group is seeking legal measures to ensure these intricate ecosystems are granted the protection they necessitate.
This group recently filed a lawsuit against the country’s fishery managers, accusing them of failing in protecting the Gulf of Alaska’s cold-water corals and the often-accompanying sponges. These delicate marine features suffer serious damages due to an invasive fishing practice known as bottom trawling, wherein nets drag across the seafloor, harvesting fish and unintentionally devastating the backdrop.
The suit refers to clauses from the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. It states that despite the mandate to safeguard the seafloor of the Gulf of Alaska, the National Marine Fisheries Service affiliated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has ignored essential duties.
Corals and sponges aren’t only mesmerizing marine spectacles but also play pivotal roles in supporting fish populations and diverse sea life. They’ve already been gravely impacted by warming conditions due to climate change and acidification as oceans absorb atmospheric carbon. Fishing gear scraping the seafloor, thereby, adds to the looming threats against these corals and sponges.
Interestingly, barring destruction by trawling, some of these corals and sponges can live for extensive spans, ranging from hundreds to even thousands of years. They offer a complex habitat for various species, including those with commercial importance such as rockfish, crab, and prawns. Damages to slow-growing species that have a long life span, like cold-water corals and sponges, can be irreversible.
At the crux of the lawsuit is the exact method by which “essential fish habitats” are distinguished and protected. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which establishes policies implemented by the National Marine Fisheries Service, conducts periodic reviews to declare which areas should be deemed essential fish habitats & establish the necessary special protections.
Nonetheless, these protection efforts disregard the coral gardens or sponge habitats in the Gulf of Alaska, as stressed in the lawsuit. Hence, a significant portion of Gulf water extending from Yakutat to the Islands of the Four Mountains in the Aleutians could become vulnerable to bottom trawling. With more insights acquired about Alaska’s corals, sponges, and their ecosystem function, it becomes vital that this knowledge be integrated into the council’s process for deliberation.
Despite having been initiators in cold-water coral protection earlier on, the council now seems lacking. In 2005, the council, indeed, cordoned off a vast marine section around the Aleutians to fend off bottom trawling, enabling the safety of the coral gardens. However, the current plea posits that a larger piece of the area should be exempt from bottom trawling.
Whilst the National Marine Fisheries Service has refrained from commenting on the lawsuit due to a policy regarding pending litigation, it continues to be at the forefront of researching Alaska’s corals and sponges.
Research teams, including those affiliated with the service, have been steadfastly working for several years to recognize and chart Alaska’s corals, particularly those on the Gulf of Alaska’s floor. Advanced technology is used for underwater inspection, capturing images of these corals, sponges, and their accompanying sea creatures. A principal intention of this research is to discern if fishing, other human activities, or climate change is damaging the coral habitat and what protective measures should be applied.
