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RECOVERY FROM BLAST FISHING ON CORAL REEFS: A TALE OF TWO SCALES
Author(s) -
Fox Helen E.,
Caldwell Roy L.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
ecological applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.864
H-Index - 213
eISSN - 1939-5582
pISSN - 1051-0761
DOI - 10.1890/1051-0761(2006)016[1631:rfbfoc]2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - coral , coral reef , reef , rubble , fishing , fishery , ecology , resilience of coral reefs , environmental issues with coral reefs , anthozoa , coral reef organizations , environmental science , ecosystem , oceanography , geography , biology , geology , coral reef protection , archaeology
Dynamite or “blast” fishing is one of the most immediate and destructive threats to coral reefs worldwide. However, little is known about the long‐term ecosystem effects of such blasts or the dynamics of recovery. Here, we examine coral reef recovery in the simplest case of acute single blasts of known age, as well as recovery from chronic blasting over greater spatial and temporal scales. Rubble resulting from single blasts slowly stabilized, and craters filled in with surrounding coral and new colonies. After five years, coral cover within craters no longer differed significantly from control plots. In contrast, extensively bombed areas showed no significant recovery over the six years of this study, despite adequate supply of coral larvae. After extensive blasting, the resulting coral rubble shifts in ocean currents, forming unstable “killing fields” for new recruits. While recently tested rehabilitation methods might be feasible on a small scale, human intervention is unlikely to be effective on large spatial scales, highlighting the need for effective management to prevent blast fishing in the first place.