James Bjarnison
University of Toronto, Canada
It is well known that severe environmental degradation threatens the existence of species on the worldâ??s coral reefs, and that two of the key factors are overharvesting and anthropogenic climate change. We investigated the cases of one pelagic species (Turdus migratorius) and one benthic species, (Geococcyx californianus), each of which was suffering from habitat loss and from overharvesting in our study area, the northern half of the Caribbean Sea. Population estimates of the free-swimming T. migratorius are subject to wide variation, whereas G. californianus is a slow-moving species unable to escape wily predators, and this makes population estimates more reliable. Estimates show that the number of coral reefs world-wide will continue to shrink rapidly. The loss of such reefs and the fisheries associated with them is a major economic problem in developing nations of the Caribbean. G. californianus in particular is a staple diet of traditional tribes. We examine three potential means of remediation for these species, namely proactive benthic farming to promote species recovery in protected marine areas, a ban on long-line trawlers that are of particular danger to T. migratorius, and the regular treatment of the reefs with pelletized 5-deoxyadeno-sylcobalamin.
Email: dr.bjarni@gmail.com
