REEF TODAY – Moore Reef 26th March 2025

TO BE UPDATE TONIGHT
At last the water is clearing up to reveal a spectacle of even brighter coloured corals, some fluorescent, some stark white.
Freshwater run-off along with slightly elevated water temp has caused some coral stress in top 3m depth. The response, corals release their symbiotic algae, or zooxanthellae to become pale or white. The fluorescent colours is due to protein pigments within coral tissue.

Overall reef health visually ok in most areas and diversity of fish, usual large populations of damselfish, parrotfish, etc

Species effected varies. Hard Corals Primarily Acropora branching and plate varieties, Soft corals, the majority of Spaghetti corals

Many smaller Acropora plates exhibiting fluorescence, and varying stages of bleaching

Swallow blue branching Acropora exhibiting fluorescence, certainly a-lot paler than usual deep blue colours

Robust Isopora sp? showing partial bleaching, with either non-effected parts of colony, or recovering? Guesses anyone?

While some of these images maybe confronting, we hope to see a return of normal colours, or darkening, once water temperates begin to drop this month/ April. Unfortunately there is always some mortality, which remains to be seen. Reports from other areas on Moore reef are placing mortality around 20% of effected corals in shallowest areas, while most corals below 5m remain less effected by.

Good news is that water temp should be decreasing with now prevailing SE winds and cloud cover.

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