Spread of Algae Farming Takes a Toll on Coral Reefs in Pacific

The commercial cultivation of algae — used as a binder and fat substitute in ice cream and other foods — has led to the spread of two kinds of seaweed that are smothering coral reefs in the Philippines, Indonesia, and other parts of the Pacific. Ten countries in the Pacific have had the two varieties introduced, but fluctuating demand and lax cultivation have allowed the seaweeds to infest reefs in Tonga, Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, and other places, where they invade the habitat of reef fish and kill the coral, threatening the livelihoods of subsistence fishermen. Meanwhile, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that nearly half of the coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. are in poor or fair condition, largely because of warming ocean waters. The report also said that roughly half of the Caribbean’s corals have been badly damaged or destroyed by rising sea temperatures.