Coral painkillers - bad news for scuba divers?

Researchers have discovered that a compound harvested from soft coral off the coast of Taiwan could provide a new treatment for pain from damage.

A study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology suggests Capnella imbricata, or Kenya Tree Coral, could provide relief where traditional painkillers can't.



Dr Zhi-Hong Wen from the National Sun Yat-Sen University has been testing a chemical isolated from soft coral collected at Green Island, a small volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean.

More studies are now needed to see if this could offer a new way to treat the condition.

Dr Wen said: "Today there are few pharmacological agents that can help people suffering from neuropathic pain, but we believe that these marine-derived compounds could lead to the development of a new range of drugs of great potential."



Which leads to an interesting dichotomy. Coral reefs are already under threat from a multitude of different sources, rising sea temperatures, increased acidity, pollution, coastal development, over fishing, crap divers.

Hell, the doomsayers say the Great Barrier Reef will be gone in 20 years due to warmer waters, whereas I say the Red Sea reefs will be gone in the same time due to clod-hopping foreign f**kwits who walk all over it or crash into it.

But if corals offer a potential pharmaceutical benefit, do the world's powers start taking the issues that affect our oceans more seriously in order to preserve the coral reefs? In which case we might all benefit.

OR do they simply plunder the world's reef systems that are so crucial to the planet's health and well-being for a short term gain as has befallen Africa and any number of important rainforests?

I know which one my money's on and I'm gonna make sure I dive the Far East in the none too distant future - while there is still something of Mother Nature that is inspiring to see.

Should scuba divers eat fish?

Over-fishing is as big a problem to humanity this century as global warming, according to the man behind documentary, the End of the Line.
Yet research shows most of us don't realise that our seas are under such a pressing threat.
Journalist Charles Clover's film exposes the impacts of fishing on marine life, the plight of species such as bluefin tuna, and the profound implications of a future world with no fish.
But a key message from the film is that actions individuals can take will help bring change.

Which raises the question, should scuba divers eat fish?

For us the underwater world is our playground. Healthy reefs are what draw us to far-flung locations around the world. I'm sure we've all had a moan when dive sites haven't lived up to expectations and been shorn of life.
Yet I'm sure we've all enjoyed a sneaky piece of local fish afterwards.

It's diffiuclt for us Brits, we have been brought up on a diet of fish and chips. Sea bass cooked simply with a twist of lemon and some black pepper over sweet potato mash and some veg has to be one of my favourite tuck-ins.

But seabass are also among the Marine Conservation Society's list of 69, yes 69, fish to avoid. While it states some seabass fisheries are okay, how can I be certain whether the fillet on the plate has come from a sustainable source or not? Is it best to just so no full-stop.

Some scientists have warned the oceans are in so much peril world's fisheries could face collapse by 2048. This will have a devastating impact on our environment.

As previous blogs have touched on, we need a healthy marine ecosystem to absorb carbon dioxide from the air but, such is the damage to the underwater world, ocean acidity is increasing and threatening the very ecosystems and coral reefs that we enjoy.
According to the latest research, fish play their part in regulating acidity, secreting a compound called calcium carbonate, which if it dissolves in the upper levels of the oceans could help replenish the alkalinity of the seas.
Therefore fewer fish contributes to greater ocean acidity = destroyed coral reefs.
If that happens every dive, no matter where in the world, will be like a desert.

Quoting a friend: "For centuries we have taken our marine riches for granted. But in recent decades we have taken too much, with too little care. Fragile habitats have been destroyed, fish stocks have collapsed and valuable resources have become dangerously depleted. The marine environment is on its knees. Now it is time to give something back."

Charles Clover called on consumers to demand sustainably-caught fish from retailers and restaurants. Which is a start. It's taken almost 20 years for politicians (short-termists by nature) to understand the impact of global warming but the oceans can't afford for them to catch up here.

The EU has proposed some new measures of shark finning in European waters. If they can drop national interest and have a look at the ridiculous rules around fishing we might have something to go on.

We can also support the development of Marine Conservation Zones, contained in a bill working its way slowly through Parliament.

But back to my earlier question. Should we divers lead by example and so no to the fish on the menu to do our little bit to reduce demand? Just as it is in the long term interests of fishermen not to empty the oceans, it is also in ours. Travelling half way around the world for a dive site that resembles a lifeless quarry doesn't hold much appeal

After all, Mother Nature has a way of bouncing back if we relieve the pressure and give her time.

Ocean Acidification Study

Good news for us scuba divers, the UK government has launched an ambitious £11m five-year study into the impacts of ocean acidification.

Researchers are growing concerned that seas are absorbing CO2 at unprecedented rates and risking upsetting the delicate balance for life in the oceans.

The issue is now considered one of the major environmental issues of this century.



The study, co-funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc), will also examine the implications for people and the economy.

In a statement, Nerc said: “The associated increases in ocean acidity over coming decades are likely to be at a rate and on a scale unprecedented in at least the last 20 million years.

"Under such conditions, organisms creating aragonite skeletons face serious challenges.”

The study will focus on the Atlantic, Antarctic and Arctic oceans and assess how marine ecosystems are affected.

It is thought as much as half of all CO2 released by burning fossil fuels over the past 200 years has been absorbed by world’s oceans.

This has lowered the pH value of seawater and researchers fear it could result in a massive extinction of life in the seas.

Filming Underwater News

As part of his reporting into the fears of increasing ocean acidification (see The Changing Seas) and its effect on the future of marine life, the BBCs Roger Harrabin has filed a series of special reports on the issue from the Red Sea.

Much of the filming for was done underwater. The BBCs website is worth a look for a five minute feature from cameraman Tony Fallshaw as he explains the specialist equipment and techniques used to record underwater footage.


Cameraman Tony Fallshaw reveals the secrets of filming underwater

The short is interesting, particularly in terms of how they overcome the problems of recording sound and pieces to camera from the journalist themselves. Also, look out for the famous face looking after the divers.

Ocean acidification and the fate of marine life

A few bite-sized chunks of news today that showing the changing nature of the seas we love to dive.

Carbon dioxide from the burning of fossils fuels activities are acidifying the oceans and threaten a mass extinction of sea life, a conference of ocean scientists has heard.
Researchers estimated that since the Industrial Revolution, CO2 emissions belching into the atmosphere and then absorbed into the ocean have already turned the sea about 30 per cent more acidic.
The chemical change is placing "unprecedented" pressure on marine life which make calcified shells, and life such as mussels, starfish, oysters shellfish and lobsters, and could cause widespread extinctions, experts fear.
Seawater is mildly alkaline with a "natural" pH of about 8.2 but the Copenhagen Climate Change Congress conference heard the acidity pH rate of the seas has increased by 0.1
Dr Carol Turley from Plymouth Marine Laboratory told the BBC: "I believe we may be heading for a mass extinction, as the rate of change in the oceans hasn't been seen since the dinosaurs."
Scientists studying the seas around the the island of Ischia, in the Bay of Naples, Italy, (check out the video on the BBC) believe it is an example of what the future may hold.
The water there has increased levels of CO2 because of volcanic vents on the seabed
Dr Jason Hall-Spencer from Plymouth University said: "The changes here have clearly made life impossible for shell-forming creatures."

On the other side of the world, scientists have identified seven new species of bamboo coral discovered on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-funded mission in the deep waters off Honolulu.
Six of these species may represent entirely new classification of organisms and scientists expect to identify more new species as analysis of samples continues
“These discoveries are important, because deep-sea corals support diverse seafloor ecosystems and also because these corals may be among the first marine organisms to be affected by ocean acidification,” said Richard Spinrad.