It has been 13 years since researchers from all over the world issued a call for action to preserve the world's ocean reefs. And according to a new study, the situation has grown even more dire since then.

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PART THREE

Coral Reefs in Peril - Katie Reytar

In 1998, researchers from across the seas came together and released a report called Reefs At Risk. They painted a dire picture of the state of the world's ocean reefs. And they predicted then that if the world didn't take action, things would get worse.

Thirteen years later, they've been proven right. Last month, the World Resources Institute -- along with 25 other groups -- released Reefs at Risk Revisited. In it, they predict that nearly all of the world's reefs will be at risk by the middle of this century. Katie Reytar is a research associate at the World Resources Institute and a co-author of the new report. She was in Washington.

Coral Reefs in Peril - Nancy Knowlton

The reef at Discovery Bay on Jamaica's north coast buffers the bay from the open sea. But the reef has been damaged by runoff, coastal development, hurricanes and overfishing.

Peter Gayle is trying to do something about that. He's the Principal Scientific Officer at the Discovery Bay Marine Lab at the University of West Indies. And he thinks that better management of the lobster fishery will help the situation. We aired a clip.

And for a sense of the threats facing other reefs around the world, and why they are so important to the world's oceans, we were joined by Nancy Knowlton. She's a renowned coral reef biologist at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. She's also the author of Citizens of the Sea: Wondrous Creatures from the Census of Marine Life. She was in Washington.

Last Word - Great moments in Election History

In 1891, Sir John Abbott became Canada's third prime minister. Abbott's most famous political comment was "I hate politics."

Over a hundred years later, Canadians know exactly what he's talking about.

Other segments from today's show:

• Election & Families
• Teen Suicide