Five Ways Overfishing Damages Coral Reefs — and What Anglers Can Do

Coral reef fisheries are often small, but they can do outsized harm. Reef fish are a major food source for over a billion people worldwide, and in many island and coastal communities fishing plays a central social and cultural role and is a critical source of food and income. When it is done unsustainably, it depletes key reef species, damages the habitat itself, and sends a ripple effect through the local economies that depend on the reef.

Why reefs are being overfished

In the U.S. and its territories, coral reefs support commercial, recreational and subsistence fisheries. Across many locations, a combination of forces has led to depleted key species and damaged habitat: rapid population growth, rising demand, more efficient fishing technology, and management and enforcement that have not kept up. Some types of fishing gear also physically damage coral reefs, seagrass beds and other important habitats.

Five ways it goes wrong

1. Fishing the nurseries. Many fish grow up in habitats near shore. Netting young fish there removes them before they can help replenish the population.
2. Traps and debris. Traps set too close to reefs, and marine debris such as lost "ghost" traps and nets, monofilament and line, damage corals that take a long time to recover.
3. Indiscriminate gear. Non-selective gear like nets and traps often takes more herbivorous fish — the fish that eat algae and help keep the reef in balance.
4. Fishing spawning aggregations. Some species gather in large numbers at predictable times and places to mate, which makes them especially easy to overfish.
5. Taking too many big fish. Large fish produce more young that are likely to survive to adulthood. Without them, populations dwindle over time.

How you can help

• Learn the local fishing rules and regulations; your state fishery agency or a bait and tackle shop can help.
• Choose sustainable seafood — FishWatch explains how.
• Take only what you need, and release fish you don't plan to eat.
• Keep aquarium fish responsibly: know where they come from, and never release unwanted fish into the wild.

Sources

Based on "How does overfishing threaten coral reefs?" from NOAA's National Ocean Service, a work of the United States government in the public domain.