Resuts Of Study At Glover's Reef (Belize) Challenge Idea That Protected Status Protects Corals

[hatrack]

Fleshy whorls of thick brown algae blanket the once-vibrant corals in Glover’s Reef, Belize. According to a controversial study published August 14 in the journal Coral Reefs, a decade of marine reserve protection has failed to help these damaged Caribbean corals recover. Healthy reefs depend on herbivorous parrotfishes to gobble up vast algal blooms. When fishing pressures overwhelm these seaweed-grazing species, tough carpets of ropy algae choke new coral growth.

Research has shown that marine reserves with strong ‘no-take’ enforcement—armed patrols, clear boundaries and daily surveillance—can protect herbivorous fish populations. However, it’s less clear whether these safeguards also help corals bounce back.

In 2008-2009, researchers from the University of Miami counted herbivorous fishes and measured coral growth at 87 reserved and fished sites throughout Glover’s Reef. Then, they compared their results to data collected in 1998-1999. They showed that the reserves made no difference in fish populations or coral health.

Marine scientist and lead author Brittany Huntington thinks it’s important to challenge the assumption that marine reserves invariably promote coral recovery. “We need to do a better job of understanding where reserves work and where they don’t,” she told mongabay.com. “The failures are just as important to hear as the success stories.”

EDIT

http://news.mongabay.com/2011/1109-ucsc_rosen_reefs.html