Hong Kong Reef Check 2000

Results

Coral cover

Species diversity

Other Observations

Potential Threats to Corals 

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Coral cover

• As sampling depths of all sites are relatively shallow (<5m), most of the corals recorded in the survey are hard corals.

• Soft corals, all with low coverage (<5%), were only recorded in 4 sampling sites including South and North Ninepin, Sharp Island and Pak Lap Tsai.

• For hard corals, a marked difference in coral cover (ranging from 2.5% to 57.5%) was observed among sampling sites.

• Among all 15 sites surveyed, 6 of them including Kat O, Ping Chau, Crescent Island, Double Island, Coral Garden and Bluff Island have recorded high coral covers (i.e. >50%).

• Tung Ping Chau, a site be designated as Marine Park in 2001, recorded the highest coral cover (57.5%).

• Coral covers at sites within existing Marine Parks (i.e. Lai Chi Wo and Hoi Ha Wan) ranked as medium to high.

Species diversity

• The above 6 sites recorded high coral covers in general have high diversity of fish fauna.

• Wrasse, butterfly fish, Diadema, sea urchin and cowries are found in most of the sampling sites.

• Groupers and snappers were recorded in 2 Reef Check sites.

Other Observations

• Corals at all 15 sites are healthy.

• No signs of destructive fishing practices were observed at all sites.

• Anchor damage to coral and abandoned nets were observed at isolated sites.

• Coral bleaching was observed at Kat O, Lai chi Wo and Bluff Island. The impact was low and localised.

Potential Threats to Corals

• Boat anchors and abandoned fish nets are the major threats to corals.

• The extent of coral damage by boat anchors in Bluff Island was middle to large.

• The extent of coral damage by abandoned fish nets in Lai Chi Wo, Moon Island and Bluff Island was middle.

• There were some coral bleaching in Kat O, Lai Chi Wo and Bluff Island, and the extent of coral bleaching was small. (less than 10%)