Outlawing fishing 'would help save coral reefs'

[Thom Little]

Marine biologists may have found a simple way of preserving tropical coral reefs that are threatened by pollution and climate change - ban fishing.

A study of a coral reef in the Caribbean has found the coral improves significantly when fishing is outlawed. Bans allow big predators such as sharks and groupers to prey on smaller parrotfish which graze on seaweed living on the coral.

The findings are surprising because grazing parrotfish help prevent seaweed from smothering the coral and more of their natural predators should in theory make it more difficult for coral to grow.

However, research by a team led by the marine biologist Peter Mumby, of Exeter University, found that although the presence of big predators caused parrotfish to decline, it results in some parrotfish growing bigger, allowing the coral to be grazed more efficiently. "Marine reserves are used as a tool to manage fish populations. The key finding from our results is reserves can also protect corals from the effects of climate change," Dr Mumby said.



http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article336783.ece

[benburch]

1. Attempting to feed billions of humans by fishing dooms the sea.

We need to do more than stopping fishing of the reefs. We need to stop most fishing everywhere. In the future all food fish need to be raised in floating net cages, a form of fish farming that ensures that you will not destroy non-food sea life while harvesting your fish!