Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Although they look like plants, corals are actually colonies of small animals related to sea anemones. Each
coral polyp is an individual animal that secretes a skeleton upon which the colony forms and lives. The gorgo-
nian corals, or “tree corals,” are also known as sea fans or “horny corals,” in reference to the pliable skeleton
that the polyps secrete. Most corals need hard substrates to anchor themselves and, as filter feeders, strong cur-
rents to deliver their food, which consists of plankton and detritus. Both of these conditions are met along the
edge of the Scotian Shelf.
The corals themselves provide an attractive habitat for other marine species, including fish, molluscs, crus-
taceans, and sponges. Different fish species appear to be associated with specific species of coral. Off Nova
Scotia, fishers know that haddock are found around Gersemia rubiformis, a soft coral known as “strawberries,”
while cod and halibut frequent bubblegum tree coral. Unfortunately, dragging or bottom trawling has des-
troyed many corals, pulverizing communities that may be hundreds of years old. It will take that long again for
them to recover, if at all.