{"id":3156,"date":"2020-08-27T09:25:35","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T09:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/?p=3156"},"modified":"2020-08-30T09:12:02","modified_gmt":"2020-08-30T09:12:02","slug":"the-forgotten-reef","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/en\/animal_plants\/the-forgotten-reef\/","title":{"rendered":"The Forgotten Reef"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Endangered reef in Israel\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/v-NSJ4IfDsM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When scuba divers daydream about shoals of fish, rays, colorful jellyfish, and giant sea turtles, they most likely envision the coral reefs of Australia, the Philippines, or Mexico, or at least fantasize about a trip to the Red Sea. Many of them might not even know that they can find a fascinating underwater world just off the coast of Haifa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although\nwidely unnoticed by the public, this unique and spectacular natural site faces\nnumerous threats, and the authorities&#8217; continued disregard for its inherent\nvalue further exacerbates the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Walking\nalong Bat Galim beach, the ecological wealth hidden underwater just offshore is\nnot easy to see. But close to the beach there is a thick algae forest that\ngrows on the reef, which, along with the shellfish and fish, is an important\npart of the diet of the brown and green sea turtle, which comes to the area\nthroughout the year, especially during the breeding season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reef is\nhome to a variety of fish, including groupers, sea breams, houndfish, and\nbarracudas, while stingrays inhabit the sandy patches along the bottom of the\nreef. Nestled between the thick curtains of algae, invertebrates like squid,\noctopuses, crabs, and sea slugs thrive undisturbed from the commotion around\nthem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the bird migration season, seabirds, like seagulls, petrels, and cormorants, also come to the Bat Galim Bay to rest and feed on the abundance of fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN1238-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN1238-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN1238-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN1238-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN1238-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN1238-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Walking along Bat Galim beach, the ecological wealth hidden underwater just offshore is not easy to see<\/em>. <em>Photo by Sarah Ohayon<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>A rare\ncombination of rock, water, and sunlight<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How did the\nreef in Bat Galim attain such ecological wealth? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The\nreef is an underwater part of the Carmel ridge, whose extensions descend gently\ninto the sea to a depth of about 300 meters. The gradual descent creates a wide\nrock step with a moderate slope, which extends 2 kilometers towards the open\nsea, which is actually the bottom of the reef, &#8220;explains Nadav Beerune,\none of the founders of &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/batgalimseadefenders\">Bat Galim Sea Defenders<\/a>&#8221; and a resident of the\nneighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Unlike\nthe other reefs on the Mediterranean&#8217;s shores, this is not&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/240580170_Mode_and_timing_of_kurkar_and_hamra_formation_central_coastal_plain_Israel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">kurkar rock<\/a>, but\nlimestone, which is a harder stone. It is also the only coastline in the\ncountry facing north and not west &#8211; so unusual wind and (current) flow regimes\nare created here,&#8221; she adds.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rare\ncombination of hard, very large bedrock, and relatively calm shallow waters\nwithout strong waves from the west through which sunlight easily penetrates,\nallows extensive parts of the reef to be covered with algae. This creates a\nshallow and protected lagoon, and unique habitat for many species of fish and\ninvertebrates, especially in the early stages of their lives &#8211; before they\nventure out to sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2015,\nseveral residents of the Bat Galim neighborhood, who had already begun to\ndiscover the reef&#8217;s uniqueness, decided to establish the&nbsp;Bat Galim Sea Defenders&nbsp;community.\nSince then, the community members have been organizing beach and water\ncleanups, dives designed to explore the ecological diversity of the reef, and\ninformation activities for the general public, including screenings of\ndocumentaries filmed during the dives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During their\nexploration dives, the &#8220;sea defenders&#8221; discovered that the reef is\nespecially essential to the next generation of various local species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the most significant observations made during the dives were mating sea turtles, young green sea turtles, turtles laying eggs in the last remaining strips of sand on the beach, as well as large flocks of round fantail stingray and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iucnredlist.org\/species\/104050689\/104057239\">critically endangered blackchin guitarfish<\/a> &#8211; including many pregnant females.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN1544-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN1544-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN1544-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN1544-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN1544-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN1544-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>The reef is home to a variety of fish, including groupers, sea breams, houndfish, and barracudas, while stingrays inhabit the sandy patches along the bottom of the reef.<\/em> <em>Photo by Sarah Ohayon<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>An underwater\nworld in danger<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of\ntoday, the Bat Galim reef is not a protected area. Although included in the\noriginal plan for the adjacent Rosh HaCarmel Marine Reserve, which was recently\napproved by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, the reef was axed in the\nearly development stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sarah\nOhayon, marine ecologist and &#8220;Sea Defenders&#8221; activist, explains what\nmight happen when the reserve adjacent to the reef, which already suffers from\noverfishing, is established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;A\nconsiderable part of the reserve will be closed to fishing. As a result,\nincreased fishing activity in the Bat Galim reef might cause fish populations\nto decline drastically, and consequently harm other animals that feed on the\nfish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In\naddition, waste that is dumped carelessly on the promenade near the reef\nquickly finds its way to the sea. According to Ohayon, waste found at the site\nincludes fishing lines, hooks, nylon threads, disposable utensils, plastic\nbags, and food packaging. Debris is also washed out to sea from nearby beaches\nsections that are cleaned infrequently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Animals\nmight get entangled in the larger pieces of waste, or eat them and suffocate.\nThe smaller pieces decompose into microplastic particles, which enter the\nmarine food web,&#8221; says Ohayon. \u201cDrainpipes, located along the coast and\nconnected to the city and the nearby hospital, wash additional debris into the\nsea during rainfall events,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In\norder to promote a reserve in a certain area,&#8221; Ohayon explains, &#8220;the\nIsrael Nature and Parks Authority has to conduct a thorough ecological\nsurvey.&nbsp; Then a document has to be\nproduced detailing why this area should be declared a nature reserve. However,\nno such survey has been conducted at the Bat Galim reef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In another attempt to push for the protection of the reef, the &#8220;Sea Defenders&#8221; decided to submit a request for a marine ecological survey to the &#8220;Israel Open Space Conservation Foundation&#8221; at the Israel Land Authority. In this document, which was submitted in collaboration with the Haifa Municipality, the survey was proposed as a preliminary step in planning an urban marine nature park. But the proposal was rejected on the grounds that it does not meet the threshold conditions as the fund does not allow the submission of projects that include marine areas. It seems to be a Sisyphean challenge to overcome the bureaucratic obstacles that prevent the protection of this unique natural wonder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN3683-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN3683-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN3683-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN3683-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN3683-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/DSCN3683-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Some of the most significant observations made during the dives were mating sea turtles, young green sea turtles, turtles laying eggs in the last remaining strips of sand on the beach, as well as large flocks of round fantail stingray and the critically endangered blackchin guitarfish &#8211; including many pregnant females<\/em>. <em>Photo by Sarah Ohayon<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Who will\nprotect the reef?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\n&#8220;Sea Defenders&#8221; tried to promote a municipal bylaw that would define\na minimum distance that motorized vessels would keep from the shore, and thus\nallow the continued diving and discovery of the reef&#8217;s secrets, in front of the\nHaifa Municipality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nMinistry of the Interior later issued an amendment to the Coastal Law regarding\nthe issue, but with a fundamental difference: the amendment proposes to allow\nsurfing, windsurfing, and kayaking in Bat Galim, but does not list swimming or\ndiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Bat\nGalim Bay is an international-level water sports arena, and all the knowledge\nwe have acquired about the reef are thanks to diving and snorkeling,&#8221; says\nOhayon, who fears that following the new proposal, some of these activities\nwill no longer be possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Already\ntoday, the ecosystem of the Bat Galim reef is affected by waste pollution,\noverfishing, and municipal water run-off. As long as there is no legislative\naction to protect the reef, the situation might become worse. According to\nOhayon, as long as the reef is not protected by law, a new marina could be\nbuilt on the site, or parts of the beach may be dried up for a new hotel. &#8220;As\na result of such changes, the living space and food availability for animals\nwill shrink, and the various species, some of which have been living and\nbreeding here for hundreds of millions of years, may no longer be able to\nsurvive here,\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ohayon\ndescribes that her vision is an accessible marine nature park, a transition\narea from the bustling urban waterfront bordering the Rosh HaCarmel Marine\nReserve in the east.&#8221; There is tremendous potential here for the city\nitself, which could benefit from a local eco-tourism hotspot. Residents and\nvisitors could get to know the fascinating nature up close and learn about it.\nMost importantly, this is an opportunity to protect the reef&#8217;s unique ecosystem,&#8221;\nsays Ohayon. &#8220;All that is needed is one of the authorities to step\nup,&#8221; Ohayon concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Israel Nature and Parks Authority&#8217;s\nresponse: <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;The area that was part of the initial\nplan for the <\/em><em>Rosh HaCarmel Marine Reserve<\/em> <em>is, indeed, of ecological value but was discarded\ndue to planning reasons. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority will be happy to\nassist the Haifa Municipality in developing and promoting the area for\nconservation purposes as an urban marine park or in any other way it chooses.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Haifa Municipality response: <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;The Haifa Municipality is aware of\nthe natural values found in the Bat Galim Reef. However, the only body\nauthorized to declare a nature reserve is the Israel Nature and Parks\nAuthority. The Haifa Municipality is also aware of the exceptional sea\nconditions of the Bat Galim Bay and encourages non-motorized water sports.\nFurther, the municipality is promoting the establishment of a diving and\nwindsurfing club and intends to preserve the place as such and encourage\nsurfing competitions, activities for water education for children, and more.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Ministry of the Interior response:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;The amendment of the proposed law for regulating bathing places refers to a declaration by the Minister of the Interior for beach sections where swimming is prohibited. The accompanying explanation of water sports is following the local authority&#8217;s request to allow water sports in these sections of the beach. For any additional information on the types of water sports, please contact the local authority.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This ZAVIT article was also published in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ynetnews.com\/environment\/article\/r1IMilbQw\">Ynetnews<\/a>&nbsp;on 08\/24\/2020.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When scuba divers daydream about shoals of fish, rays, colorful jellyfish, and giant sea turtles, they most likely envision the &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":3157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14,12,10],"tags":[],"acf":[],"post-meta-fields":{"_edit_lock":["1599462408:11"],"_thumbnail_id":["3157"],"_edit_last":["11"],"subtitle":["There is a little natural wonder, hidden underwater just off the beach of the Bat Galim neighborhood in Haifa. But the authorities\u2019 continued disregard for the site could significantly damage its unique ecosystem"],"_subtitle":["field_59d3d36ea7fe1"],"_wpml_media_duplicate":["1"],"_wpml_media_featured":["1"],"_oembed_4fded13418cfb307e42f4efb5a69eede":["<iframe title=\"Endangered reef in Israel\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/v-NSJ4IfDsM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>"],"_oembed_time_4fded13418cfb307e42f4efb5a69eede":["1598520335"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3156"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3156"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3179,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3156\/revisions\/3179"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}