Reef Rescue

The hit movie Finding Nemo follows a clownfish that is scooped up from the Great Barrier Reef.

In real life, clownfish are among the thousands of colorful sea creatures that call the Great Barrier Reef home.

Stretching 1,250 miles along Australia's northeastern coast, the Great Barrier Reef is the longest coral reef in the world. A coral reef is a living underwater structure.

But these days, the Great Barrier Reef has found itself in trouble. Overfishing, pollution, and high temperatures are harming its health. That's why the government in Australia is trying to help rescue the reef.

While coral may look like a plant, it is actually made up of tiny sea animals. Those sea animals are called coral polyps.

As polyps die, they leave hard shells behind. Other polyps grow on top of the shells. Over thousands of years, they form a coral reef in warm water that is not very deep.

In many ways, the Great Barrier Reef resembles an underwater garden. Coral can be hard or soft. It forms in different colors and in strange shapes. Some coral looks like hardened brains. Other coral looks like fans and lettuces. The reef bursts with schools of tropical fish, darting among gaps in the coral.

The reef supplies food and shelter to creatures living in and around the coral. Turtles, sharks, sea horses, and crabs are among its many inhabitants.

While the reef is important to ocean life, it helps humans, too. People rely on the reef for both food and jobs. It also provides medicine used to treat disease. Each year, the Great Barrier Reef contributes about $975 million to the economy through tourism and fishing.

Is it surprising, then, that the Great Barrier Reef is under too much stress? Fishing nets and ships break off sections and damage the reef. Air and water pollution are also doing harm. At the same time, warmer sea temperatures have caused coral bleaching on half of the reef. The high temperatures cause the coral to turn white, often killing it.

In an effort to help save the reef, the government has limited fishing to two-thirds of it. That plan increases the number of "green zones." Those are areas that are off-limits to fishermen and boats. However, tourists and researchers can still visit them. Many fishermen are upset about the plan because they rely on the reef for jobs.

The Australian government says that its plan will help keep the reef safe from some threats. "It is very important that we give the reef proper protection for the future," said one government official. "The reef is Australia's greatest natural [treasure]."