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Sustainable reference points for multispecies coral reef fisheries
Environmental Studies and ForestryNature Communications

Sustainable reference points for multispecies coral reef fisheries

J. Zamborain-mason, J. E. Cinner, et al.

Sustainably managing fisheries is critical, yet many coral reef fisheries lack effective assessment strategies. A groundbreaking study by Jessica Zamborain-Mason and colleagues reveals that over 50% of coral reef sites face conservation concerns. By estimating sustainable reference points, this research highlights the trade-offs among biodiversity and ecosystem functions, paving the way for improved coral reef fishery sustainability across the globe.... show more
Abstract
Sustainably managing fisheries requires regular and reliable evaluation of stock status. However, most multispecies reef fisheries around the globe tend to lack research and monitoring capacity, preventing the estimation of sustainable reference points against which stocks can be assessed. Here, combining fish biomass data for >2000 coral reefs, we estimate site-specific sustainable reference points for coral reef fisheries and use these and available catch estimates to assess the status of global coral reef fish stocks. We reveal that >50% of sites and jurisdictions with available information have stocks of conservation concern, having failed at least one fisheries sustainability benchmark. We quantify the trade-offs between biodiversity, fish length, and ecosystem functions relative to key benchmarks and highlight the ecological benefits of increasing sustainability. Our approach yields multispecies sustainable reference points for coral reef fisheries using environmental conditions, a promising means for enhancing the sustainability of the world's coral reef fisheries.
Publisher
Nature Communications
Published On
Sep 04, 2023
Authors
Jessica Zamborain-Mason, Joshua E. Cinner, M. Aaron MacNeil, Nicholas A. J. Graham, Andrew S. Hoey, Maria Beger, Andrew J. Brooks, David J. Booth, Graham J. Edgar, David A. Feary, Sebastian C. A. Ferse, Alan M. Friedlander, Charlotte L. A. Gough, Alison L. Green, David Mouillot, Nicholas V. C. Polunin, Rick D. Stuart-Smith, Laurent Wantiez, Ivor D. Williams, Shaun K. Wilson, Sean R. Connolly
Tags
sustainabilitycoral reefsfish stocksbiodiversityfisheries managementecological assessmenttrade-offs
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