Let's All Coral together

Environment Jan 5, 2021 by Hannah Kosichek

As I have just started my placement with the Great Canadian Shoreline cleanup, it has gotten me thinking a lot about the life that lives right by our shorelines, covered with less than a meter of water. Just looking at all the different trash that people have found whilst doing cleanups, I wonder – if this were in the water what marine life would be affected? In Vancouver, we don’t necessarily see the life that is right below the surface because of the cold and murky water, but it’s there.

Besides orcas, one of the first things that ever fascinated me about the ocean was corals. Going on trips when I was younger, I would spend my entire vacation just snorkeling and marveling at the variety and colours that corals could produce. A lot of animals live in or around, feed on or seek refuge in corals. They provide a barrier from storms and waves. People are always so excited about the fish, but none of the fish would be there if it weren’t for the corals! Recently, I watched a documentary called ‘Chasing Coral’ on Netflix (go watch it!). It shows this drastic change from what healthy corals look like to what happens when coral bleaching happens as a result of warming water temperatures. It was really sad to watch and really just made me think about how corals are kind of the like the trees of the ocean; they don’t really seem to move, they harbor so much life in their environment and nobody knows how important they really are until they’re gone or damaged.

I got inspired to draw this picture, because I wanted to show that corals are so vital to marine ecosystems; they are the heart of the ocean. I wanted to show that the ocean is an open system, with everything depending on something. For example, the zooxanthellae form a symbiotic relationship with corals and zooxanthellae in turn, are the photosynthesizers that get rid of some of the CO2 that we create! I hope that people can realize the ocean is just as important to protect as any landmass is because there is so much that the ocean does for us that we don't even realize.