Coral calamity hitting Caribbean fish
Caribbean reef fish have suffered major decline in last 15 years due to destruction of coral habitats, research shows
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Friday, 20, Mar 2009 08:27
Caribbean reef fish have suffered a major decline in the last 15 years due to the destruction of their coral habitats, research has shown.
A study of 318 separate reefs around the Caribbean has shown annual decline of up to six per cent from 1995 onwards.
Fish densities had previously been stable for decades, Michelle Paddack of Simon Fraser University in Canada writes in Current Biology.
"We were most surprised to discover that this decrease is evident for both large-bodied species targeted by fisheries as well as small-bodied species that are not fished," she said.
"This suggests that over-fishing is probably not the only cause."
She suggests that warming oceans, coral disease, rises in sedimentation and pollution from coastal development have hit reefs, while over-fishing has targeted fish normally important for keeping reefs free of algae.
"All of these factors are stressing the reefs and making them less able to recover from disturbances such as hurricanes, which also seem to be occurring more frequently," Dr Paddack continued.
Scientists had previously documented historical declines in the abundance of large Caribbean reef fishes that probably reflect centuries of overexploitation. However, effects of recent degradation of reef habitats on fish had not been established before now.
In the new study, the research team compiled data on reef fish densities from 48 studies representing 318 reefs across the Caribbean from 1955 to 2007. Their analysis found that overall reef fish density has been declining significantly for more than a decade, at rates that are consistent across all sub-regions of the Caribbean basin. Specifically, they show losses in fish density of 2.7 to six per cent per year.
Dr Paddack added: "If we want to have coral reefs in our future, we must ensure that we reduce damage to these ecosystems.
"On a personal level, this may mean not buying wild-caught aquarium fish and corals, not eating reef fish species that are declining, taking care not to anchor on reefs, and reducing our carbon emissions to help control climate change. But importantly, we need to let lawmakers and resource managers know that we care about these ecosystems and we need to push for changes in how they are managed."