With 80% Loss In Caribbean Coral Cover Since Mid-1970s, Reef Fish #s Falling Significantly - AFP

[hatrack]

The number of fish living in Caribbean reefs has dropped significantly since 1995, after decades of stability, and is likely due to a significant loss of coral, a study published Thursday found. Researchers examined data from 48 different studies of 318 reefs across the Caribbean from 1955 to 2007.

They found that fish density grew from 1955 to 1985, when it began to decline slightly. The significant losses began in 1995, when density fell across the region by 2.7 to six percent per year.

"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," said lead author Michelle Paddack of Simon Fraser University in Canada. "This suggests that overfishing is probably not the only cause."

Paddack and her colleagues point to an 80 percent reduction in coral cover since the mid 1970's and drastic changes in coral reef habitats over the past 30 years as the most likely culprit. These changes are a result of a number of factors, including a rise in pollution from coastal development, warming ocean temperatures, coral diseases, and overfishing which led to the decline of many fish species important to keeping the reefs free of algae.

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