Coral reefs are the largest biological structures on the planet, with the largest being the Great Barrier Reef covering over 2000 kilometers along the east coast of Australia. The reef is said to be 500,000 to 2,500,000 years old and is said to be visible from the moon. There is only one problem with this beautiful structure and that is the carelessness of man. Silt from deforested lands and pollution from crowded coastlines chokes them, and overuse by coal miners, fisheries, and even tourists deplete and destroy coral reefs. There are many more factors w

The coral reefs can provide great things to mankind if they are taken from the corals with care and responsibility. Coral reefs yield approximately one-tenth of all fish caught for human consumption, or around 4 to 8 billion tons annually. Healthy reefs are thought to be among the most productive fisheries in the ocean, 10 to 100 times higher per unit area that of the deep ocean. If the fisheries are regulated then the reefs can be used as a food source without hurting the reefs or the ecosystem. For example, Pacific Islanders obtain up to 90% of their animal protein from reef fish without affecting the reefs and without depleting the fish and affecting the ecosystem. Surprisingly, some of the world’s largest oil and gas fields are ancient reefs. Like the rain forests, the reefs also hold considerable untapped potential in the science of medicine. Japan’s coast is one of the most studied coral coasts in the world. In Japan’s reefs there is a chemical called kainic acid, which is used as a diagnostic chemical to investigate Huntington’s chorea, a rare but fatal disease of the nervous system. Coral also produces a natural sunscreen which is now being marketed to sell as a sunscreen to humans in America. The porous limestone skeletons of coral are now being tested as bone grafts in humans. More promising testing is being done on other reef organisms to generate chemicals for cancer and AIDS research. If used properly, the reefs of the entire world can better serve humans with medicine rather than with food.

hich add to the destruction of the coral reefs, which if not stopped it will destroy all coral reefs. Corals are animals, not plants; sunlight is the key to their survival. They need it to power the millions of microscopic algae, called zooxanthellae, which live in their tissues. The algae provide the corals with foo

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