Reef Encounter 37
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January 2009 REEF No. 37 ENCOUNTER Newsletter of the International Society for Reef Studies The Hyperbolic Crochet Reef ISSN 0255-2787 www.fit.edu/isrs/ Reef Encounter No. 37, January 2009 Newsletter of the International Society for Reef Studies Editor: Sue Wells 95 Burnside, Cambridge CB1 3PA, UK Tel +44 1223 711017. Email: [email protected] Co-editors: SL Coles, A Heenan Editorial President: R ichard Aronson Dauphin Island Sea Lab 101 Bienville Boulevard, Dauphin Island, AL 36528, U.S.A. Tel 1 251 861 7567; ISRS Comment Email: [email protected] From the President 4 Vice President: Tim McClanahan ISRS 2008 Council Election Results 5 Wildlife Conservation Society, Coral Reef Conservation 11th International Coral Reef Symposium, 2008 5 Project, P.O. Box 99470, Mombasa, Kenya. http://web.mac.com/trmcclanahan/iWeb/trmcclanahan/ ISRS News email: [email protected] Coral Reefs -B est Paper Award 9 New Briefing Paper on Coral Reef Rehabilitation 9 Corresponding Secretary: Isabelle Côté Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, ISRS Support to Reefs at Risk 9 Burnaby, BC V5A 1S5, Canada. Email: [email protected] 100 Important Questions for Global Conservation 10 Recording Secretary: Robert van Woesik ISRS Fellowship Programme Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Institute of Introduction 10 Technology , 150 West University Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32901, 2008 Fellowship Awards 11 U.S.A. Tel 1 321 674 7475 Email: [email protected] Reports of the 2006 Fellowships 11 Treasurer: John R. Ware SeaServices, Inc., 19572 Clubhouse Rd., Montgomery Village, Currents MD 20886, U.S.A. Tel 1 301 987 8507. Email: [email protected] Coral Reef Mapping 14 Corals are Animals: Why the confusion? 16 ISRS Council: AH Baird, B Brown, RPM Bak, AS Cabanban, SL Coles, G Diaz-Pulido, M Hidaka , D Hubbard, L McCook, News MMcField, B. Riegl, CS Rogers, Y Suzuki, S Wells Italian research in the Maldives 17 Coral Reefs Editor in Chief: Rolf PM Bak Call for information: extinction risk of 18 NIOZ, Postbox 59, Den Burg, NL 1790 AB, Netherlands, sea snakes to be assessed [email protected] Cyclone Gonu in the Gulf of Oman 19 Editorial Assistant: Elizabeth H. Gladfelter Book Reviews C/o NIOZ, Postbox 59, Den Burg, NL 1790 AB, Netherlands, [email protected] A Reef in Time by J.E.N. Veron 20 Geological Approaches to Coral Reef Ecology 21 Geology: Bernard Riegl edited by Richard B. Aronson Ecology: Peter Mumby Biology: Clayton B. Cook, Mark I. McCormick and Ruth D. Gates Deep-sea coral ecosystems: biology 22 Environment: Robert van Woesik and geology by Robert Y. George and Steven D. Cairns ISRS Patron Members: DG Fautin & RW Buddemeier, BR Constantz, DJ Fishman, AJ Hooten, LL Jackson, BD Keller, Conservation and adaptive management 22 WE Kiene, S Miller, J Pringle, JR Ware, W Ware and S Wells of seamount and deep-sea coral ecosystems by Robert Y.George ISRS Honorary Members: J Connell, RN Ginsburg, DW Kinsey, IG Macintyre, HG Multer, J Randall, DR Stoddart and Steven D. Cairns Past Honorary Members: HG Multer,S Kawaguti, G Scheer, Book Shelf 22 JI Tracey Jr. Reef Sight 23 The International Society for Reef Studies was founded at a meeting in Churchill College, Cambridge, UK in December 1980. Its aim under the constitution is to promote, for the ben- efit of the public, the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge and under- Copy deadline for REEF ENCOUNTER 38 standing concerning coral reefs, both living and fossil. iii. In order to achieve its aim, the Society has the following objectives: (due out April 2009) is 31 March 2009 iii. To hold meetings, symposia, conferences and other gatherings to disseminate this sci- entific knowledge and understanding of coral reefs, both living and fossil. Front cover iii. To print, publish and sell, lend and distribute any papers, treatise or communications relating to coral reefs, living and fossil, and any Reports of the Proceedings or the The Institute for Figuring Crochet Coral Reef. Accounts of the Society. Photo Alyssa Gorelick © IFF To raise funds and invite and receive contributions from any persons what so ever by the way of subscription, donation or otherwise providing that the Society shall not undertake any permanent at trading activities in raising funds for its primary objects. The Society collaborates with Springer-Verlag in producing the quarterly journal Coral Reefs. This large-format journal is issued free of charge to all members of the Society, and concen- Design and Layout by Rodney Cash and David Ashby trates on quantitative and theoretical reef studies, including experimental and laboratory work and modeling. Printed by Cambridge Printers Ltd., 1 Mercers Row, Cambridge, CB5 8HY, UK Reef Encounter, No. 37, January, 2009 3 EDITORIAL Past and present Officers and Council Members of ISRS We have another packed issue – thanks so much to all The International Year of the Reef is coming to an those who have made the contributions (and apologies end, and has done a tremendous job in promoting a where we have had to ‘butcher’ your text to fit every- wider understanding of why reefs are important and thing in!). Many thanks to those of you who came for- their uncertain fate to a huge audience: thanks to the ward at the 11th ICRS and volunteered to help with Hyperbolic Crochet reef, the message has also reached Reef Encounter – we will be calling on your assistance both the high art world and women’s handicraft groups for future issues. around the world! The new challenge will be to turn this This issue demonstrates the wide range of activities awareness into action – and active ISRS members will be that ISRS is involved in, including the 11th ICRS (p. 5), key to this. where ISRS members were much in evidence, the planned new ISRS Briefing Paper on coral reef rehabili- Sue Wells, Adel Heenan, Steve Coles tation, and ISRS participation in the new Reefs at Risk project and a research initiative at the University of Cambridge. We have started a permanent section of the newsletter to showcase the Fellowship programme (p. 10), which has now been running for over ten years and has disbursed almost half a million US dollars, thanks to two very generous anonymous donors. There are reports of reef research programmes under- way on the west coast of India, in Oman, and in the Maldives, and of new work looking at the conservation status of sea snakes. As we approach the big Darwin anniversary (2009 is the 200th anniversary of his birth, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his On the Origin of Species) the reflections on progress in coral reef mapping and our understanding of the classi- fication of corals seem very appropriate. ISRS, www.fit.edu/isrs/ 4 Reef Encounter, No. 37, January, 2009 ISRS COMMENT Message from the President Richmond, Barbara Brown, Rolf Bak, Tim McClanahan, Sue Wells and their colleagues are good The 11th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in examples. As a proactive start, after we renew our own Fort Lauderdale, Florida was a resounding success in memberships this fall each of us should set a goal of terms of science and projecting our message to the pub- signing up at least one new ISRS member for 2009. It lic. The intellectual tone of the Symposium was superb, will require a small effort from each ISRS member, but and it was good to see us as a group pull away from the in aggregate the new memberships will help enormously depressing attitude that it is game-over for coral reefs. by providing the means for us to deliver more and better One more time, we all owe Dick Dodge and the Local BPs, issues of Reef Encounter, fellowships for graduate Organizing Committee (LOC) our thanks for their hard research, and other products that will advance the sci- work in putting the conference together. ence and help save the reefs. Bob Richmond and his committee are working to On a very sad note, Gray Multer passed away on identify the venue for the 12th ICRS, and we expect to October 23, 2008. Gray was recently made an make an announcement soon. Several people suggested Honorary Member of ISRS. We recognized him at the innovative ways to ease the organizational burden and 11th ICRS for his important scientific achievements and carbon footprint of the next Symposium. We will pass his distinguished service to the Society and the profes- those ideas on to the new LOC. sion generally. Our thoughts and prayers go out to On July 1 2008, Rolf Bak took over from Barbara Gray’s family. A full obituary will appear soon. Brown as Editor-in-Chief of Coral Reefs. At the same time Betsy Gladfelter took over from Richard Dunne as Rich Aronson, President Editorial Assistant. We thank Barbara and Richard for all they have done for the Society and we look forward H. Gray Multer to working with Rolf and Betsy. There have also been some changes to the editorial board, so please check the Coral-reef science has just lost an advocate. Many of us Coral Reefs website. lost a friend, role model, and valued colleague. H. Gray Sue Wells and her editorial team likewise deserve a lot Multer died peacefully at his home in New York State of credit for doing such a professional job in producing on October 23rd, 2008. But, in character to those who Reef Encounter on a tight budget. As with so much of knew him, he did not go quietly. We talked just a week the Society’s work, they do their jobs voluntarily and before he passed, and the subject was… coral reefs, without compensation.