The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. It is a vast multiple-use Marine Park which supports a wide range of uses, including commercial marine tourism, fishing, ports and shipping, recreation, scientific research and Indigenous traditional use. Fishing and the removal of artefacts or wildlife is strictly regulated, and commercial shipping traffic must stick to certain specific defined shipping routes that avoid the most sensitive areas of the park. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest and best known coral reef ecosystem in the world. Its reefs, almost 3000 in total, represent about 10 per cent of all the coral reef areas in the world. It supports an amazing variety of biodiversity, providing a home to thousands of coral and other invertebrate species, bony fish, sharks, rays, marine mammals, marine turtles, sea snakes, as well as algae and other marine plants.
The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippine archipelago, the largest in the world, occupying an estimated surface area of 5 million square kilometers. The Philippine Sea Plate forms the floor of the sea. Its western border is the first island chain to the west, comprising the Ryukyu Islands in the northwest and Taiwan in the west. Its southwestern border comprises the Philippine islands of Luzon, Catanduanes, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. Its northern border comprises the Japanese islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyūshū. Its eastern border is the second island chain to the east, comprising the Bonin Islands and Iwo Jima in the northeast, the Mariana Islands in the due east, and Halmahera, Palau, Yap and Ulithi in the southeast. Its southern border is Indonesia's Morotai Island.
Canigao Channel is a strait in the Central Visayan and Eastern Visayan regions in the Philippines. This strait separates the islands of Bohol and Leyte, while the Cebu Strait separates Bohol and Cebu. Thus, the Camotes Sea is connected to the Bohol Sea both by the Canigao Channel and Cebu Strait.
A marine reserve is a type of marine protected area (MPA). An MPA is a section of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity. A marine reserve is a marine protected area in which removing or destroying natural or cultural resources is prohibited, marine reserves may also be "no-take MPAs,” which strictly forbid all extractive activities, such as fishing and kelp harvesting.. As of 2007 less than 1% of the world's oceans had been set aside in marine reserves. Benefits include increases in the diversity, density, biomass, body size and reproductive potential of fishery and other species within their boundaries.
Talibon, officially the Municipality of Talibon, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 71,272 people.
Blast fishing, fish bombing, dynamite fishing or grenade fishing is a destructive fishing practice using explosives to stun or kill schools of fish for easy collection. This often illegal practice is extremely destructive to the surrounding ecosystem, as the explosion often destroys the underlying habitat that supports the fish. The frequently improvised nature of the explosives used, and undetonated charges, means danger for fishermen and divers as well, with accidents and injuries.
The Tubbataha Natural Park, also known as the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, is a protected area of the Philippines located in the middle of the Sulu Sea. The marine and bird sanctuary consists of two huge atolls and the smaller Jessie Beazley Reef covering a total area of 97,030 hectares. It is located 150 kilometres (93 mi) southeast of Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan. The uninhabited islands and reefs are part of the island municipality of Cagayancillo, located roughly 130 kilometers (81 mi) to the northeast of the reef.
The Experimental Oculina Research Reserve preserves the Oculina Banks, a reef of ivory bush coral off the coast of Fort Pierce, Florida. Oculina varicosa is a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service species of concern. Species of concern are those species about which the U.S. Government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service, has some concerns regarding status and threats, but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list the species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The Camotes Sea is a small sea within the Philippine archipelago, situated between the Central Visayan and the Eastern Visayan regions. It separates Cebu from Leyte hence is bordered by Cebu to the west, Leyte to the east and north, and Bohol to the south. At its center are the Camotes Islands, but it also contains Mactan Island, Olango Island, Lapinig Island, and various other small islets.
The habitat of deep-water corals, also known as cold-water corals, extends to deeper, darker parts of the oceans than tropical corals, ranging from near the surface to the abyss, beyond 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) where water temperatures may be as cold as 4 °C (39 °F). Deep-water corals belong to the Phylum Cnidaria and are most often stony corals, but also include black and thorny corals and soft corals including the Gorgonians. Like tropical corals, they provide habitat to other species, but deep-water corals do not require zooxanthellae to survive.
The Coral Triangle (CT) is a roughly triangular area in the tropical waters around the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. This area contains at least 500 species of reef-building corals in each ecoregion. The Coral Triangle is located between the Pacific and Indian oceans and encompasses portions of two biogeographic regions: the Indonesian-Philippines Region, and the Far Southwestern Pacific Region. As one of eight major coral reef zones in the world, the Coral Triangle is recognized as a global centre of marine biodiversity and a global priority for conservation. Its biological resources make it a global hotspot of marine biodiversity. Known as the "Amazon of the seas", it covers 5.7 million square kilometres (2,200,000 sq mi) of ocean waters. It contains more than 76% of the world's shallow-water reef-building coral species, 37% of its reef fish species, 50% of its razor clam species, six out of seven of the world's sea turtle species, and the world's largest mangrove forest. In 2014, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) reported that the gross domestic product of the marine ecosystem in the Coral Triangle is roughly $1.2 trillion per year and provides food to over 120 million people. According to the Coral Triangle Knowledge Network, the region annually brings in about $3 billion in foreign exchange income from fisheries exports, and another $3 billion from coastal tourism revenues.
The fishing industry in the Maldives is the island's second main industry. According to national tradition in the words of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, "Fishing is the lifeblood of our nation, it is inborn. From the soil on which we live, to the sea around us, it remains an integral part of our existence. Fishing, and our country and its people, [are] one and shall remain inseparable forever." The Maldives has an abundance of aquatic life and species of fish. Common are tuna, groupers, dolphin fish, barracuda, rainbow runner, trevally and squirrelfish and many more. Aside from being of essential importance to the economy, fishing is also a popular recreational activity in the Maldives, not only among locals but by tourists. The islands have numerous fishing resorts which cater for these activities.
The Coral Sea Reserves Ramsar Site comprises the 17,292 km2 of oceanic island and reef habitats within the former Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve and the former Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve in the Australian Coral Sea Islands Territory.
Danajon Islet, also known as Dawahon Islet, is an islet in the Philippines found at the easternmost end of the Danajon Bank. The islet is coterminous with Barangay Dawahon, which is under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Bato in the province of Leyte. The islet is only 5 hectares, and has a population of about 3,230 as of the 2020 census. The islet is only 3 meters above sea level, but the Danajon Bank protects it somewhat.
The Mayotte Marine Natural Park is a marine park surrounding Mayotte, a French overseas region. Mayotte is part of the Comoro Islands archipelago, which lies within the Mozambique Channel in the western Indian Ocean. Established in 2010, the park covers the entirety of Mayotte's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. It is contiguous with the Glorioso Islands Marine Natural Park, which was established two years later.
The coral reefs of Tuvalu consist of three reef islands and six atolls, containing approximately 710 km2 (270 sq mi) of reef platforms. The islands of the Tuvalu archipelago are spread out between the latitude of 5° to 10° south and longitude of 176° to 180°, west of the International Date Line. The islands of Tuvalu are volcanic in origin. On the atolls, an annular reef rim surrounds the lagoon, and may include natural reef channels. The reef islands have a different structure to the atolls, and are described as reef platforms as they are smaller tabular reef platforms that do not have a salt-water lagoon, although they may have a completely closed rim of dry land, with the remnants of a lagoon that has no direct connection to the open sea or that may be drying up.
Nocnocan is an island off the coast of northern Bohol, Philippines. Located in the Camotes Sea, it a part of the chain of islands that are situated in the Danajon Bank, the only double barrier reef of the country. It is governed locally by Barangay Nocnocan, under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Talibon, Bohol. The island is around 13 km. northeast from the port of Talibon. Due to its proximity to the rich fishing grounds of the Danajon Reef, fishing is the main source of livelihood of the residents. They supply sea food, such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks and seaweeds to the markets in Bohol and Metro Cebu. The 2020 census estimates that the population of Nocnocan is 1,785, a decrease of 0.06% from 2015. But even with a decrease in population, the island is still considered to have a very high population density in the country. With an area of 0.04 km2, the population density is 44,625 per km2.
Pandanon is an island located in the Camotes Sea, in between the islands of Olango and Bohol, in the Visayas Region, Philippines. The island is locally administered by Barangay Pandanon, municipality of Getafe, Bohol. Pandanon is situated in the Danajon Bank, the only double barrier reef in the country and famous for its rich marine wildlife and diversity. It is 9 km (5.6 mi) northwest of the port of Getafe and 13 km (8.1 mi) southeast of Cordova, Cebu. While most of the residents in the island engage in fishing, some are employed in the tourism sector, working in the beach resorts of the island and provide island hopping tours for travelers. In the 2020 Census, the population of Pandanon is 2,362. With a very small area of only 0.07 km2 (0.027 sq mi), the island is regarded as having a very high population density.
Caubian Gamay is a island of Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines. Located in the Camotes Sea, it is approximately 13 kilometers (8.1 mi) north from Getafe, Bohol and 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) east from Mactan Island. Together with the bigger uninhabited island, Caubian Daku, also called Poo, comprise the Barangay of Caubian. Both islands are located in the Danajon Bank, the only double barrier reef in the Philippines and known to be one of the richest fishing grounds in the country. It is part of the Olango Island Group. Most of the families depend on fishing and speak the Cebuano language. According to the 2020 census, the island has a population of 2,429. With an area of around 0.04km2, Caubian Gamay has an estimated population density of 60,725/km2. It is regarded to be one of the densest populated islands in the world.
Calituban is an island off the coast of northern Bohol island, Philippines. It is located approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) north-northwast from the port of Talibon. Situated in the Camotes Sea, Calitiban Island is one of the islands in the Danajon Bank, the only double barrier reef in the country, known for its rich marine biodiversity. The whole island is locally governed by Barangay Calituban under the administration of the municipality of Talibon, Bohol. The residents of the island are mostly engaged in fishing, while some provide island-hopping tours for tourists.
