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Dr. John E. Randall,
Senior Ichthyologist
Bishop Museum
“The number of
the larger reef fishes is clearly far fewer today than when I first
dived in Hawai‘i in 1950. Today, our reef fishes are also
smaller in size because they are being caught before they reach
reproductive maturity. It’s time for us to stop fishing in
indiscriminate and wasteful manners.”
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PHOTOGRAPHY
SIDEBAR:
Courtesy of the Bishop Museum
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LEFT:
A Redlip Parrotfish (Uhu), swims by a degraded reef in the Main
Hawaiian Islands. Courtesy of Hanauma Bay
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| Our reef ecosystem is in trouble. While fishing pressure, land-based pollutants, alien species and climate change are all contributing to the loss of biodiversity in coral reefs worldwide, overfishing is the primary factor in the precipitous decline of Hawaii’s nearshore ocean health. The total biomass of reef fishes in the Main Hawaiian Islands is less than a quarter of what it was a century ago.
Our populations of fishes cannot be sustained if we continue to take what we can. When done responsibly, there are many ways to fish in a sustainable manner, such as pole and line, hand line, throw net, and breath-hold spearing. In addition, innovative management, that blends modern science with traditional knowledge, is needed to help our reefs and fishes recover.
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Click here to view “The Living Reef” booklet |
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