The Reef That Built Itself Back: Coral Recovery After Bleaching

From How To Protect The Ocean · 15:37

Show by Andrew Lewin

In 2023, a marine heat wave settled over Palmyra Atoll, a remote ring of coral islands about 1,000 miles south of Hawaii, and stayed for more than half a year. Some of the reef's most vibrant corals turned white. Joe Pollock of The Nature Conservancy, who monitors the reef, admitted he didn't know if it would come back. Three years later, he put his face in the water and found the reef floor covered in baby corals. In this episode, I break down why Palmyra recovered when so many reefs struggle. It comes down to an intact food web: parrotfish that graze algae off the reef, a bubblegum-pink crustose coralline algae that holds space for young corals, and sharks that keep the whole system in balance. Then we travel to Tsitsikamma, Africa's oldest marine protected area, where Rhodes University researchers found that protected red roman stayed active through an extreme cold spell while fished populations slowed down. Protected areas buy reefs time, and cutting emissions decides how much time they need. I close with one simple action you can take this year: submitting a short comment of support the next time a marine protected area consultation opens in your region. Here's the template from the episode, ready to copy and paste: "I support protecting this area because intact ecosystems recover faster from heat waves. Please give science-based protections full weight." Takeaways Bleached coral is starving, not dead, and can recover if the heat breaks in time Palmyra's reef recovered with a "sea of baby corals" whose parents survived the 2023 bleaching Corals that survive bleaching often tolerate heat better and can pass that tolerance to offspring Parrotfish, crustose coralline algae, and sharks form the "crew of three" that keeps a reef ready to recover Protected red roman in South Africa kept moving through a cold spell that slowed fished populations At 1.5°C of warming, 70 to 90% of coral reefs are projected to decline, so emissions cuts remain the primary fix One two-sentence comment on an MPA consultation counts Important Links and Calls to Action Copy-and-paste comment for your next MPA consultation: "I support protecting this area because intact ecosystems recover faster from heat waves. Please give science-based protections full weight." NPR: There are still nearly pristine coral reefs. They're a blueprint for coral restoration: https://www.npr.org/2026/09/18/nx-s1-5901157/coral-reefs-bleaching Chasing Coral (Netflix documentary): https://chasingcoral.com Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network 2025 Report (living coral down about 10% since 1980): https://gcrmn.net/2025-report/ Corals that survive bleaching gain heat tolerance (NPR): https://www.npr.org/2024/04/01/1241431817/coral-climate-change-heat-great-barrier-reef-bleaching Crustose coralline algae, the unsung architects of coral reefs (Smithsonian Ocean): https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/plants-algae/coralline-algae-unsung-architects-coral-reefs High apex predator biomass on remote Pacific islands (Palmyra predator density): http://researchgate.net/publication/33548989_High_apex_predator_biomass_on_remote_Pacific_islands Global decline of oceanic sharks and rays, 71% since 1970 (Nature): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03173-9 Red roman study, Mlotshwa et al., Rhodes University (African Journal of Marine Science): https://doi.org/10.2989/1814232X.2025.2558738 IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C: https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/ Super Reefs framework (The Nature Conservancy, WHOI, Stanford): https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/super-reefs-heat-resilient-corals/ Mote Marine Laboratory releases hatchery-raised Caribbean king crabs: https://mote.org/news/mote-marine-laboratory-releases-first-hatchery-raised-caribbean-king-crabs-onto-floridas-coral-reef-marking-major-milestone-in-restoration-efforts/ New hope for Puerto Rico's coral reefs, sea urchin restoration (NOAA Fisheries): https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/new-hope-puerto-ricos-coral-reefs Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Marine Protected Areas: https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans/mpa-zpm/index-eng.html Government of Canada, Consulting with Canadians: https://www.canada.ca/en/government/system/consultations/consultingcanadians.html US federal public comment periods (Regulations.gov, includes NOAA): https://www.regulations.gov Support Independent Podcasts: https://www.speakupforblue.com/patreon Need help with your ocean non-profit, company, or project? Get the help you need with Pisces Oceans Inc.: https://www.piscesoceans.ca Connect with Speak Up For Blue Website: https://bit.ly/3fOF3Wf Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rIaJSG TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@speakupforblue Twitter: https://bit.ly/3rHZxpc YouTube: www.speakupforblue.com/youtube

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