Hard and soft corals on some Fijian reefs began bleaching in early 2000 and by mid-July most colonies were either recovering or dead and being colonized by algae. Some Savusavu reefs experienced 60 to 80 % hard and soft coral mortality down to a depth of 10 m with Acroporids most affected. Reefs with lower coral diversity and abundance seemed to suffer less than those with increased cover and diversity yet the bleaching and resultant mortality was quite variable, with the highest mortality along the southern portion of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Inshore reefs showed greater survivorship and these large areas of healthy coral, as well as deeper reefs, which were less affected should bode well for a large recruitment to the areas of high mortality (from Richard Murphy, Rmurphy000@aol.com and Ed Lovell, lovell@suva.is.com.fj).

The Mamanucas Islands of Fiji are continuing to recover from the 2000 bleaching event and show an increase in total hard coral cover and a decrease in dead coral and macroalgae cover between 2001 and 2003, suggesting that the reef habitat is generally in a good condition.
However, assessments of new sites in 2003 suggest that tourist development may have impacted shallow reef habitats around some of the smaller islands within the archipelago. The presence of dense beds of the macroalgae Gracilaria may be related to elevated nutrient levels in nearshore waters yet the potential causes of these extensive macroalgal beds are unknown (from Ryan Walker, rw@coralcay.org).

Serious coral bleaching occurred in 2000 and 2002, with 40 - 80% coral mortality on many reefs. Inshore and deep-water corals were less affected than those on the outer-reef slopes. Many reefs are now recovering with high coral recruitment and recovery of 3% in areas less than 5 m deep, and more recovery (7%) in deeper waters. Recovery is slow in some damaged areas, such as Beqa Barrier Reef and the western Astrolabe Reef.

In February 2000, up to 90% of the Goniastrea and Platygyra colonies bleached in Fiji, with mortality about 2-5% on the outer slope.

Most of Fiji’s reefs were affected by mass coral bleaching in March-April 2000, except those in the far north, with more than 40% of colonies dead at many sites. There was also variable bleaching in 2001 and 2002, except for intense bleaching in 2002 in very shallow areas. Many affected reefs are making a strong recovery e.g. increasing densities of Acropora recruits at sites around Suva.

There were also serious coral bleaching events associated with raised sea surface temperatures in early 2000 and 2001 affecting Fiji and Solomon Islands (e.g. up to 90% of corals were killed in parts of Fiji). Previous bleaching in Fiji was apparently not as severe as the event of early 2000. There are, however, huge gaps in coral cover data prior to the bleaching; this is now an issue being addressed by the IMR Southwest Pacific GCRMN Node.

A HotSpot of sea surface temperatures 1-1.5^oC above average was centred on the Fiji Islands in 2000, accompanied by unusually calm conditions. Massive coral bleaching was seen in early surveys of southern Viti Levu with 50-100% of corals bleached to 30m depths. Aerial surveys and spot checks showed more intense bleaching on the southern coasts of Vanua Levu and Viti Levu with less intense bleaching on the northern coasts. The important reefs in Beqa Lagoon, Great Astrolabe Reef, Taveuni, Ovalau, the Somosomo Strait and the Yasawa Islands were seriously affected. The HotSpot dissipated abruptly in mid-April with cooler weather and the onset of southeast trade winds.

The first reports from the National Tidal Facility (Flinders University, Australia) indicated elevated sea surface temperatures from December 1999-January 2000. NOAA distributed satellite images of the South Pacific HotSpot in early February. Soon there were coral bleaching reports from Solomon Islands and Easter Island. Staff from USP, the aquarium trade, dive operators, and the Waikiki Aquarium (Hawaii) surveyed reefs throughout Fiji coordinated by the IOI-Pacific Islands GCRMN Node. By July 2000, there were observations that some reefs were largely dead (Taveuni and Yasawa Islands), whereas others (Beqa Lagoon) were recovering.

The bleaching could have serious impacts on the dive tourism industry in Fiji, which brings in more than US$100 million annually. The USP Marine Studies Programme started medium to long-term experiments to assess the effects of bleaching and recovery rates, potential impacts on reef fish populations and effects on food fisheries. They are now establishing long-term monitoring sites on the Suva Barrier Reef, the Great Astrolabe Reef and in western Viti Levu, to avoid the problem of having no baseline data to assess the impact of the bleaching. The 2000 bleaching event in Fiji, recorded by satellite imagery, was the most serious ever experienced and reinforces the links between elevated sea surface temperatures and coral bleaching and may be a harbinger of future trends.

The unusual high and sustained sea surface temperatures (28-31°C) from January to April of 2000 have caused massive coral bleaching of major reefs on Viti Levu, Vanua Levu , Taveuni, Ovalau and Kadavu. The extent of the damage to Fiji’s coral reefs is not known and will have serious impacts on Fiji’s reefs. Reefs that have been degraded with pollution will be the most affected.