Marine life suffers as Thai sea temperatures hit record

TRAT, Thailand — Aquatic life from coral reefs to fish in Thailand's eastern gulf coast is suffering as sea surface temperatures hit record highs this month amid a regional heat wave, worrying scientists and local communities.

The once vibrant and colorful corals, about 5 meters underwater, have turned white in a phenomenon known as coral bleaching, a sign that their health was deteriorating, due to higher water temperatures, scientists say.

Sea surface temperatures in the eastern gulf of Thailand reached 32.73 C earlier this month while underwater readings are slightly warmer, with dive computers showing around 33 C, figures showed.

"I couldn't find a single healthy coral," said marine biologist Lalita Putchim of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, after completing a dive on the Gulf Coast.

"Almost all of the species have bleached, there's very little that's not affected."

The Trat archipelago is home to more than 66 islands, with more than 28.4 square kilometers of coral reef, where Lalita has found that up to 30 percent of coral life was bleaching and 5 percent had already died.

If water temperatures do not cool, more coral will die, Lalita said.

"It's global boiling, not just global warming," she added.

Rising temperatures were also impacting other marine life and the livelihoods of local fishermen like Sommay Singsura.

In recent years, his daily catch of seafood has been dwindling. Previously, he had been able to make up to 10,000 baht ($275) a day. But now sometimes he comes back empty-handed.

Coral reefs are both a food resource and habitat for marine life, as well as being natural barriers preventing coastal erosion, scientists say.

If bleaching causes marine life to decrease, fishermen will need to spend more to get their catch, which could see selling prices rise, said Sarawut Siriwong, dean of the faculty of Marine Technology at Burapha University.

Agencies via Xinhua