ALL ABOUT CORALS
OVERFISHING AND DESTRUCTIVE FISHING
Coral reefs support artisanal, national, and international
fisheries, with hundreds of millions of people worldwide
relying on fisheries for food and as a primary source of income.
Last year, over 80 million tons of fish was collected from
the ocean. Overfishing, especially the loss of algae-eating fish
such as parrotfish, continues to be a threat to coral reefs.
Along with overfishing, destructive fishing techniques like
the use of dynamite can severely damage a coral reef. This
reduces the amount of habit and space for juvenile fish to hide.
TOURISM
Coral reefs and tropical fish are often the first reason people try
scuba diving and snorkelling. The underwater world is full
of strange and wonderful creatures which draw us closer to the
action. But tourism, including scuba diving, snorkelling, and
water sports can cause physical damage to coral reefs.Boat anchors are especially harmful to corals and can crush
sections of the reef as they land on the bottom and they can
also leave a trail of destruction as they are dragged along
the sea floor.Snorkellers can accidentally kick corals or disturb sand and
sediments, which end up covering and smothering corals.Divers who are just learning to control their buoyancy may
accidentally kick corals and break branches. It’s important to
have perfect buoyancy to avoid damaging corals.