Australian University Study Shows Tighter Regulations Needed To Save Caribbean Corals

BRISBANE, Australia, Apr. 6, (CMC) – A study by the University of Queensland (UQ) has found that new science-based fishery regulations are needed if coral reefs are to have a future in the face of climate change.

The new study, published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, argues that science should be used to revise current fisheries practices for herbivorous fish in the Caribbean.

It shows that Caribbean coral reefs are experiencing mounting pressure from global warming, local pollution and over-fishing of herbivorous fish.

An international team, led by University of Queensland researchers, has found that tighter fishery regulations are needed to preserve corals of the Caribbean.

Researcher, Dr. Yves-Marie Bozec, from UQ’s School of Biological Sciences, said herbivorous parrotfish were needed because they eat seaweed, which can smother coral and prevent corals from recovering.

“While several countries in the Caribbean have taken the bold step of banning the fishing of parrotfish, including Belize, Bonaire, Turks and Caicos Islands, parrotfish fisheries remain in much of the region,” Bozec said.

The research team analysed the effects of fishing on parrotfish and combined this with an analysis of the role of parrotfish on coral reefs.

“We conclude that unregulated fisheries will seriously reduce the resilience of coral reefs,” Bozec said, adding “however, implementation of size limits and catch limits to less than 10 per cent of the fishable stock, provide a far better outlook for reefs, while also allowing the fishery to persist.”

The co-author of the study, Professor Peter Mumby, from UQ’s School of Biological Sciences, said a number of countries wanted to modify their fisheries to reduce impacts on reefs.

“What we’ve done is identify fisheries’ policies that might help achieve this,” Professor Mumby said, adding “ultimately, the more we do to maintain healthy coral reefs, the more likely it is that fishers’ livelihoods will be sustained into the future.

“We already know that failure to maintain coral habitats will lead to at least a threefold reduction in future fish catches,” Professor Mumby said.