Will this year's "weak" El Niño trigger another round of mysterious "bleaching" that savaged economically-vital coral reefs in a clocklike-wave of infection in 1998?. Scientists J. H. Primavera and E.D. Gomez have documented that degradation of reefs and vital shallow water ecosystems, like mangroves, continues unchecked today. Reefs remain "killing zones". Almost half of even reduced stocks are harvested.

Mercado, J. L. (2002, December 8). Can 'weak' El Niño trigger coral bleaching epidemic?. The Philippine Star, p. 12.