Mesoamerican Barrier Reef By: Darcee Stock

As defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary, overfishing is the depletion of the stock of fish in a body of water by too much fishing What is overfishing?

Since back to the Mayans, Belize has been of great importance to fishermen seeing how the Mesoamerican reef has been plentiful with fish (Belize: A Path to Sustainable Fishing , 2010) The marine biodiversity is being threaten by illegal fishing and overfishing The quickly declining number of fish population could affect the entire reef and lead to an ecological collapse Overfishing in Belize

Overfishing and illegal fishing has greatly reduced stocks of grouper and snapper  Belize fishermen have gone to lobsters and queen conch’s (Belize: A Path to Sustainable Fishing , 2010) From 1972 to 2006, the conch catch has fallen from 1.2 million pounds to 699,000 pounds The Queen Conch

Why overfishing is an issue As mentioned before, overfishing affects the whole biodiversity of the reef As well, fish itself provides many people with food  less fish = less food Why overfishing is an issue

Coral and zooxanthellae Coral and zooxanthellae (a marine algae) have formed a symbiotic relationship in which zooxanthellae gives their extra food to the coral which evidently provides the coral with energy (What is Coral Bleaching) When coral expels zooxanthellae, the photosynthetic pigments of the zooxanthellae which gives coral its colour evidently leaves the coral as well which causes the corals white skeleton to be revealed  this is called coral bleaching Coral and zooxanthellae

What causes it coral bleaching? The primary cause of coral bleaching, and what most effects the coral of the Mesoamerican Reef, is high water temperatures (What is Coral Bleaching) Water that rises a few degrees for a month or so is enough to trigger coral bleaching With global warming, it is not a surprise that coral bleaching is happening more and more frequently What causes it coral bleaching?

Why coral bleaching is a problem Since most corals need the food provided from the zooxanthellae, without them they begin to starve (What is Coral Bleaching) If conditions return to the way they were before, corals can regain their zooxanthellae and recover but the stress can cause problems with their growth and their reproduction If they do not regain their zooxanthellae or there is too much stress, the coral can die Why coral bleaching is a problem

Mesoamerican Reef and coral bleaching In 1998, a mass coral bleaching caused a great deal of coral death on the Mesoamerican Reef (Annie Reisewitz) Research showed that in areas where the water was clean and where there was less human activity, coral was able to recover much quicker then those corals affected by said things Mesoamerican Reef and coral bleaching

WWF and the Mesoamerican reef One organization that is trying to help save the Mesoamerican reef is the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Although they are doing multiple projects, one thing they are doing in particular is promoting sustainable fisheries (Projects - Promoting Sustainable Fisheries , 2011) Through this, they are teaching local fishermen (all along the reef) about ecosystem-based fishing practices As well, in Turneffe Atoll, they are working to protect the spawning of grouper and snapper WWF and the Mesoamerican reef

  Bibliography What is Coral Bleaching. (n.d.). Retrieved June 27, 2011, from Australian Gouvernment: http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/key_issues/climate_change/climate_change_and_the_great_barrier_reef/what_is_coral_bleaching Annie Reisewitz, J. C. (n.d.). Mesoamerican Reef: Low Stress Leads to Resilience. Retrieved June 27, 2011, from World Resource Institute: http://www.wri.org/publication/reefs-at-risk-revisited/stories/mesoamerican-reef Belize: A Path to Sustainable Fishing . (2010, January 7). Retrieved June 27, 2011, from Environmental Defense Fund: http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=49383 Nuttall, N. (n.d.). Overfishing: a threat to marine biodiversity. Retrieved June 27, 2011, from 10 stories the world should hear more about: http://www.un.org/events/tenstories/06/story.asp?storyID=800 Projects - Promoting Sustainable Fisheries . (2011). Retrieved June 27, 2011, from World Wildlife Fund: http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/mesoamericanreef/surveyingclimatechangeimpacts.html THE THREATS TO OUR OCEAN FISHERIES: . (1999-2011). Retrieved June 27, 2011, from Marine Conservation: http://www.savethefish.org/about_ocean_fisheries_overfishing.htm