- Idyllic scenes of Pacific islanders using traditional
spears to fish from coral reefs disguise "disastrous environmental
consequences", according to a 12-year academic study.
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- For the first time, marine scientists have put small-scale
fishing in the developing world on a par for damage with large commercial
operations. Research by Newcastle upon Tyne and Oxford universities, published
today, shows subsistence fishers in small boats are creating unexpected
havoc to reefs in Fiji.
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- Swaths of coral are dying and being replaced by algae
on 13 islands because the local catch includes the main fish predators
of coral's great enemy, the crown of thorns starfish.
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- Nick Polunin of Newcastle's school of marine sciences
and technology, said: "Something fundamental is going on, with major
implications for international marine conservation."
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- Logging of the starfish population on the Fijian islands
shows numbers "rocketing" from 10 per kilometre of reef to hundreds
of thousands after a year of relatively heavy subsistence fishing. The
local population of triggerfish and wrasse, the crown-of-thorns' main predators,
declined by two-thirds, and the area of algae replacing coral increased
by a third.
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- "Marine scientists previously thought that the diverse
ecosystems of coral reefs would be relatively resilient to impacts of predator
removal," said Dr Polunin. "This study suggests even low levels
of fishing may cause ecosystem meltdown."
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- The findings are published in the journal Ecology Letters.
The study was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council.
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- Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited
2004 http://www.guardian.co.uk/conservation/story/0,13369,1209719,00.html
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