Yossi Loya is celebrated in the international academic community for two accomplishments. The first is his method of measuring the health of a coral reef, which has been in continuous use by scientists since Loya introduced it in 1969. The second feat is winning a major lawsuit in 2009 which resulted in the Israeli government's ban on net and cage fish farming. Loya only achieved this victory after a knock-down-drag-out court battle that lasted 12 years, during which time he also dueled in print with academics who opposed the ban.

"The nitrates and phosphates produced by fish food and fish effluence cause the nutrient salt levels in the coastal waters to skyrocket. Four thousand tons of salt was being put into the Red Sea at Eilat as a result of cage fish farming, which is approximately equal to the amount generated by 70,000 people," Loya explains. When the concentration of nutrient salt increases, the numbers of algae and plankton swell, disrupting the photosynthetic processes of the Symbiodinium algae inside the coral. As a result, the coral's main source of food comes under attack. The fact that the coral coverage rate in Eilat has decreased by 70% over the last 12 years testifies to the severity of the situation.

Coral spawning season occurs every year in the week following the full moon of the third lunar month. They release their eggs out to sea during the night, and the confluence of sperm and egg dyes the water a brilliant crimson. But only a tiny proportion survive.

Huang Yuan-chao, a PhD candidate at National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of Oceanography whose dissertation is on the influence of cage and net farming in Penghu on coral ecology, is well versed on Loya's ongoing debate with nemesis Baruch Rinkevich. Professor Rinkevich and his supporters claim that, according to their test results, the volume and weight of coral in areas with net and cage fish farming are far greater than in the natural environment, and the quantity of mature polyp sperm and eggs is greater, as well. Therefore, they posit that not only is the practice not detrimental to coral reefs, but in fact stimulates reef growth.

"These research findings are miles apart from the traditional viewpoint held by most marine ecologists," says Huang, which is why they fueled such intense discussion in the scholarly community. Eventually, Loya thoroughly repudiated them in scholarly publications. Rinkevich's research focused on a particular genus of coral, Acropora, that is extremely adaptable. Although the Acropora did grow at a faster rate, the density of the coral skeletons was significantly lower. Just as a person with osteoporosis is more susceptible to bone fractures, weaker coral reefs are more likely to break when under attack from predators or strong currents. Thus, the growth that Rinkevich touted was not truly sustainable. As for the high sperm and egg counts, they do not truly qualify as a touchstone of reproductive efficiency; a better index would be the number of fertilized coral larvae released from the reef into the ocean.

In response, the opposing camp countered that the coastal areas in question began developing as a tourist hot spot in 1960, leading to increased pollution from sewage, and that, not the fish farming that had only cropped up in the last 20 years, was responsible for the reef's decline. Moreover, the quantity of coral larvae at Eilat was actually higher than in most reefs around the world, suggesting an exceptional degree of resilience. They adamantly maintained that the deterioration was solely attributable to the growth of tourism and scuba diving, and called for Loya and his followers to quit harassing the fish farming industry.

"In this case, my opponent was the confluence of political and economic forces," says Loya. Tourism and diving could be more tightly regulated by the government, but the fish farmers were a more implacable foe. Even with 90% of Israel's academics on his side and broad coverage from the media, the power and influence of this lucrative industry kept the case locked up in the courts for years. There were even threats made on Loya's life.

In the end, the robustness of his evidence swayed the courts to side with Loya. "Even the smartest lawyers in the world can't circumvent reality," he says. The Israeli government has since placed Eilat under its protection and placed limits on fish farming and other activities, but Loya thinks that it will be at least 10 years before the area recovers.

According to Huang Yuan-chao, the Taiwanese fish farming industry's redoubts are at Penghu, Xiaoliuqiu, and Pingtung County's Checheng. Checheng's coast has no reefs, and Xiaoliuqiu's corals have already been driven to a moribund state by net fishing and other inappropriate practices, leaving nothing much left for fish farming to harm. Penghu is the reigning fish farming champ, producing as much as 3000 tons of fish annually in recent years. Of the two major Penghu-based companies, one has shown a considerable degree of civic responsibility, keeping their operations further out to sea where the danger to coral reefs is minimal, even though the strong currents raise their overhead. By contrast, the second company operates in shallower waters in a semi-closed harbor. They also run a recreational sea park, doubling the environmental impact. Already, the algae and sponges in the area have grown in strength, but the relevant authorities have yet to take notice. "Over time, the algae will replace coral as the dominant species!" caveats Huang.

In July of 2009 Loya was invited to Taiwan as part of an academic exchange. In his densely packed five-day excursion he went to Kending, exploring the coral topography and diving at one of the reefs. The first thing he said after completing his dive was, "Such diversity!" He commented that it was truly remarkable for such a small area to bring together so many diverse species. Though he had heard of Taiwan's storied coral, now that he had witnessed it for himself, he would make certain to return in the future.

"It's vital for your government to realize the significance of this treasure," says the gray-haired sexagenarian. Though a bit tired from his relentless schedule, he generously took time out for my interview, over the course of which he continually and earnestly emphasized the importance of Taiwan's diverse coral ecology, beseeching the government to preserve it for posterity.