- Around six million people fish on coral reefs. Each year their catch—estimated to be between 1.4 and 4.2 million tonnes—provides a critical source of food and income for many millions more.
- But climate change-driven coral bleaching events, caused by warming seas, are damaging coral habitat and depleting fish biodiversity, which has sparked fears that these vibrant ecosystems will no longer support productive fisheries.
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- Reef fisheries can continue to provide food and income despite corals being lost to climate change, according to new research conducted in the Seychelles.
- The unexpected results of a 20-year study into reef fisheries published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution this week showed fisheries being maintained despite extreme coral bleaching.
- Remarkably, rapid proliferation of fishes with low dependence on corals led to catches remaining stable or even increasing.
- But the results also showed fishing success was ‘patchy’ and more dependent on fewer species.
- After the mass coral bleaching event in 1998, which caused substantial loss of coral habitat across Seychelles, reef fish catches have either remained the same and even increased.
- Although many reefs became overgrown with seaweeds, increases in algal-feeding fish communities such as rabbitfish are enabling local fishers to continue harvesting food.
- “Most of the fish from the trap fishery are sold and consumed locally, rather than exported internationally. Therefore, changes to this fishery have potential to influence both fishers and consumers domestically.
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