By Owain Johnston-Barnes
Published May 12, 2014 at 8:00 am

Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) has officially presented its 2013 Reef Watch report to Government, containing data recently gathered on the health of the Island’s reefs.

The report is the result of the Reef Watch 2013 initiative, which brought together more than a 100 volunteers on August 31 in support of the Bermuda Reef Ecosystem Analysis and Monitoring (BREAM) programme led by chief scientist Thaddeus Murdoch.

Together the volunteers surveyed 35 reefs covering more than 500 square kilometres of the Bermuda lagoon.

A spokeswoman said that based on the data collected, Bermuda’s reefs are still in “fairly good condition,” but there were areas of concern.

The BZS is already planning Reef Watch 2014, which is set to take place on June 28. Teams can register online at www.bzs.bm.

BZS president Richard Winchell said: “Reef Watch is a unique opportunity for every one to visit and better understand our coral reefs. Everyone had fun on the day, valuable data was collected and significant funds were raised by participants and company donors to support ongoing coral reef research.

Bermuda’s reefs were found to be in a ‘fairly good condition’
by a survey last year, however, some areas of concern have
been highlighted in the Reef Watch report.

“We wish to thank the Hiscox team for adopting the Reef Watch project and making it such a success, and to Dr Murdoch for compiling and analysing the data into this insightful report on the health of Bermuda’s coral reefs.”

Hiscox CEO Jeremy Pinchin added: “It is easy in our hectic day-to-day life to forget how fragile these environments are and how quickly the action of people, whether through local or international activity, can degrade these reefs.

“The impact of damage to the reefs of Bermuda would severely impact the economy of the Island, not just as a tourist destination but also a business location. Such a loss would impact every Bermudian in a significant way.”

“Damage to the reefs can occur very quickly and it is through the work of scientists such as Dr Thad Murdoch, we can monitor and, hopefully, rectify damage to our reefs before that damage can become irreversible.”