Coral bleaching index spikes as mangrove loss accelerates in Costa Mar

Data released Tuesday by the Costa Mar Reef Monitoring Network from the Coco Bay Reef Station recorded a bleaching index of 7.4, up from 5.1 last month, while the adjacent mangrove buffer showed a 12 % loss in canopy cover. The station’s automated sensors measured sea‑surface temperature at 29.8 °C, a 1.2 °C rise above the seasonal average. Researchers attribute the spike to an elongated dry spell that lowered reservoir outflow to the coastal lagoon. The figures mark the sharpest deterioration recorded since monitoring began in 2018.

Federal fisheries officials in Meridian have warned that the rising stress could trigger a revision of the 2024 quota for coastal pelagic species, which currently allows 1,200 tonnes of sardine catch for Costa Mar. The local cooperative, Mar Verde, argues that a stricter limit would jeopardise livelihoods already strained by higher fuel prices. Its president, Captain Luis Mendez, cited the monitoring report, saying “the reef is sending a clear signal; we cannot ignore it without endangering both biodiversity and our community.”

The Regional Assembly of Costa Mar is set to debate a motion on 22 October that would ask the Federal Council to fast‑track a protective amendment to the Fisheries Act. Observers note that the timing coincides with the federal budget review, where the tourism‑marketing fund and the conservation fund are in contention. The next preview promises details on the positions of the governing coalition and the opposition blocs, and how the data may shape the upcoming federal question time.