Marine Protected Areas in Oahu Provide Low Safety to Coral Reef Herbivorous Fishes

Marine Protected Areas in Oahu Provide Low Safety to Coral Reef Herbivorous Fishes

Source: azocleantech

3/1/2021

Marine Protected Areas in Oahu Provide Low Safety to Coral Reef Herbivorous Fishes

That is the main conclusion of a study reported in the Coral Reefs journal by scientists from the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

There are more than 10 species of herbivorous urchins and 20 species of herbivorous fishes generally found on Hawaiian reefs. Such species consume algae growing on reefs, a process known as herbivory, contributing to the coral reefs’ strength by avoiding dominance of algae that can result in excessive growth of corals.

The research group discovered that out of the four marine-protected regions surrounding Oʻahu, which were evaluated in the study, three did not offer biologically relevant benefits for herbivorous fish populations in comparison with reefs present outside the areas.
The other factors affecting the biomass of herbivorous fishes are habitat complexity and depth, indicating that environmental characteristics of coral reefs might have had a huge effect on herbivorous fish populations compared to MPA protection.

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