Treasure Island

Have you ever been to Treasure Island?

I have, and you might know the island as…. Zanzibar!

At Upepo, we spent a lot of our time walking along the beach and playing in the soft sand. We call Zanzibar Treasure Island because when we walked along the beach, we found many treasures! But not treasures a pirate would look for… treasures that I would look for! Treasures of the ocean: shells, crabs, coral, sea urchins, sponges, and more!

Sponge

Sea urchins with no spikes

A puffer fish

All of our treasures we found!

I have seen sea urchins and coral before in our fish tank at school and at Ripley’s Aquarium but this was my first time seeing them in their natural setting.

We also went on a sailing trip on the Indian Ocean which was great! The boat is called a dhow (pronounced dough-how). It is an ancient sailboat hand made out of wood. It is narrow and speedy on a windy day. It has two pontoons, one on each side which keep the boat balanced. It was a lot of fun because every time we turned, we had to switch to the other side of the boat so it stayed balanced and so the sail was not in our faces.

Us in the ancient sailboat

Preparing the boat

Sitting in the boat

A pontoon

We could see the ocean floor through the clear water which made me especially interested in coral reefs…so I did a bit of extra research….

Coral Reefs

What is a Coral Reef?

A coral reef is a group of many living creatures and plants found in many different colours, shapes, and sizes. Some of the things living in coral reefs are:

• Sponges
• Coral
• Oysters
• Clams
• Starfish
• Crabs

When we walked along the beach when the tide was coming in, we saw a huge washed up crab!

Where do Coral Reefs Grow?

Coral reefs grow in warm, shallow, clear, moving water. Most coral reefs are located near Australia, and South-East Asia. The biggest coral reef in the world is the Great Barrier Reef located in the Pacific Ocean near Australia. I will make sure to visit the reef there when we visit Australia later in our trip.  The reef here was smaller, but still very popular for snorkelling and diving.

How are Coral Reefs Made?

Coral reefs are made of polyps, little creatures with long tentacles that can sting. Each one connects together by living tissue which makes the coral grow. Only the top layer of the coral is living. When one layer comes on, the layer underneath comes off. It takes one year to reach 0.3- 10 cm. Most of the reefs have been growing for around 500-10,000 years.

Why are Coral Reefs Important?

Coral reefs are important for many reasons:

• They prevent big waves on the shore by absorbing the wave energy
• Make a safe place for creatures to lay eggs
• Provide food for people living on or near the beach
• Are homes to many creatures
• If there is a healthy reef, it means the water is also healthy

How are Coral Reefs in Danger?

There are three main reasons why coral reefs are in danger:

• Litter
• Reef Damage
• Dead Zones

Marine Litter- How Does it Affect the Reef?

The quality of the water gets worse because of the chemicals from the litter hurts the marine animals and plants.

Reef Damage- What kind of Damage?

• Fertilizers used on farms can get washed into the ocean which makes a layer of algae that kills the reef
• Pollution makes the water warmer and coral can’t live in water warmer or colder than 26-27 degrees Celsius
• Carbon dioxide makes the water acidic which makes it harder for the reef to grow
• Chemicals from sunscreen, pesticides used on farms, pollution from sewage poison coral
• Fishing methods such as cyanide and blast fishing damage the reefs

Dead Zone- What is a Dead Zone?

A dead zone is an area of water without or with little oxygen.

How do Dead Zones Happen?

How can Dead Zones be Prevented?

Here are five ways to prevent dead zones:

1. Grow organic food
-It helps prevent pesticides poisoning the water.

2. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

-Buy things with less packaging
-For lunch at school or work use a reusable lunch bag instead of a disposable one

3. Stop using plastic

-Go on picnics using metal forks instead of plastic forks.
-Use a reusable water bottle instead of a disposable one.

4. Use organic sunscreen

-It is good for you and prevents poisoning the water.

5. Spread the word

-Tell other people how to prevent dead zones!

I really enjoyed exploring my very own Treasure Island…it was so much fun!  I just hope that this coral reef will be around for many more years so others can enjoy the same experience we did!

(Coral reef info from http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/oceans/coral_reefs.cfm)