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Articles on Reef fish

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Jeffrey Shima

Under the moonlight: a little light and shade helps larval fish to grow at night

Young fish need to find food to grow, but avoid being eaten themselves. That dance for survival is linked to moonlight, which has implications for fisheries management everywhere.
Nice to see you: parrotfishes prey on seaweed, which consume seaweeds that can outcompete, smother or even poison corals. Corinne Fuchs

How fish and clean water can protect coral reefs from warming oceans

A combination of factors – pollution, disease and overfishing – is harming corals but scientists have found clues to effective treatment by studying corals’ microbiome.
Loggerhead turtle populations are facing a brighter future, but many other species are still in decline, while for others there are no data at all. AAP Image/Lauren Bath

We’ve only monitored a fraction of the Barrier Reef’s species

The Great Barrier Reef is home to some 1,600 species of bony fish, 130 sharks and rays, and turtles, mammals and more. Most have had no population monitoring, meaning we don’t know how well they are faring.
Coral reefs and associated fisheries are of vital social, cultural and economic importance. Noah Pomeroy

Measuring coral reef fishes by taking humans out of the picture

Scuba-diving scientists devise method for gauging the health of coral reefs – a vital ecosystem for keeping fisheries sustainable for people.
Climate change is affecting gender ratios in fish, and could hamper their ability to return to a 50:50 balance.

Climate change can tip the gender balance, but fish can tip it back

Warmer temperatures can throw off the gender balance in some species. But some fish can adjust their offspring’s gender to compensate, but only if temperatures don’t rise too high.
Coral reefs are like an underwater metropolis – and function in similar ways. Simon Gingins

It’s survival of the most useful when protecting species

Consensus is growing that we are steering towards a sixth mass extinction event. There are calls for increased efforts to stop the accelerating loss of plants and animals. But do we really need to protect…
Changing waves and currents can keep fish on the move. Jordan Casey

Oceans in motion: why some fish can’t go with the flow

Have you ever been snorkelling or scuba diving on a windy day when there are lots of waves? Did you notice how much that flow of water against your body affected your ability to swim and control your movements…
How and why have the colour patterns of coral reef fish changed over time? David Cook

Dazzling or deceptive? The markings of coral reef fish

Have you ever wondered why coral reef fishes are so brilliantly coloured and bizarrely patterned? A quick flick through any coral reef fish guide will leave you bewildered and awed. To answer this question…
The Coral Sea could soon become the world’s largest marine park. babasteve

Does the Coral Sea marine park proposal provide enough protection?

The release of the Coral Sea Commonwealth marine reserve proposal is a milestone achievement in marine protection. The area proposed to be covered is larger than that of many small European nations. In…
Protecting coral reefs means thinking about people, not just marine species. Fran Tapia

Poverty, not population, is ruining coral reef ecosystems

Overfishing is a serious problem on many of the world’s coral reefs – a problem that is generally attributed to too many people. But our research has found that economic development, rather than population…

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