A recent study unveils how the deep coral reefs in the Hawaii Island play a significant role in conserving the shallow reef fishes. A great initiative by the marine biologists.
Marine biologists from the Washington State University for the first time tried to explore essential facts about the deep coral reefs in the Hawaii Island. Their latest research study produces a more concrete concept about the fish species and their habitat, existing around this mesmerizing island. It is a true fact that coral reefs harbor the safety of reef fish biodiversity.
The reef fish biodiversity heavily depends on the shallow coral reefs. But these reefs are currently facing a crisis around the world. According to a doctoral student at the WSU Vancouver, Cori Kane, currently, the deep coral reefs play significant roles in conserving the reef fish biodiversity.
More clearly, the deep coral reefs are the safe destination for the shallow coral reef fishes. In a word, the fish biodiversity finally gets its safe house and the Hawaii Island is a part of that. Popular journal Coral Reefs reported the key fact of this research study.
For a long time, this mesmerizing island is regarded one of the best destinations for the aquarium fish trading business. Cori Kane and a group of student divers took the initiatives to reach more than 100 feet below the surface. This depth is known as the mesophotic or "Twilight Zone". The researchers documented the existing reef fishes around the deep coral reefs.
Previously, scuba divers were not allowed to dive below 100 feet in order to avoid the risk of decomposition sickness and the nitrogen narcosis. Later in the 1980s, the adoption of the breathing gas trimix created the opportunity for deep water diving. The discovery of many important facts about the deep coral reefs is now possible because of this breathing gas that includes oxygen, helium, and nitrogen.
The new research of Cori Kane is regarded as the first study about the mesophotic coral reefs that exist on the Hawaii Island, Phys.org reported. It is also the first time to reach more than 65 feet below the surface to document the reefs around the islands of Hawaii. The island is famous for aquarium fish exports. So the new study about the deep coral reefs will help the reef managers to acquire important knowledge.
The study will make them more knowledgeable about the current condition of many heavily collected important fish species. Fishes that belong to the upper portion of the mesophotic reef system are almost similar to those fishes exist in the shallow waters. In a word, deep coral reefs now provide habitat for the shallow reef fishes.
Interestingly, the researchers unveiled that the distribution pattern of the reef fishes is almost similar to that of the Red Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. That means a common trend exists where the deep coral reefs provide the habitat for the shallow reef fishes. It is quite clear that this current research study explores many important facts about the coral reef world of the Hawaii Island.
