HOW MANY DAMAGED CORALS IN RED-SEA REEF SYSTEMS - A QUANTITATIVE SURVEY

Quantitative coral damage assessment by means of line transects was performed in several northern Red Sea coral reef sites in Israel (Eilat) and Egypt (Hurghada area). Reefs with high and low visitor frequency were compared. For both reef systems, breakage was found to be the most common damage category, being significantly higher on highly frequented reefs. Also, all observed damage (breakage, tissue loss, algal overgrowth) was most frequent within the first ten meters depth. A significant difference in the amount of corals overgrown by algae was found on the reefs near Hurghada as compared to all other reefs. Algal overgrowth was correlated with the occurrence of tissue loss and breakage, being considered as a consequence of pollution or the former damage types. In all cases of damage, Acropora was the most frequently affected genus, while Millepora dichotoma was the most affected species.