Appetite for fish is stripping reefs

By Michael Casey
Associated Press
KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia -- Diners' appetite for live reef fish -- a status symbol for many newly rich Chinese -- has caused the populations of these predators to plummet around Asia as fishermen increasingly resort to cyanide and dynamite to bring in the valuable catch.
Entire reef ecosystems, already endangered by pollution and global warming, are at risk.
A study released this past week about the trade in Malaysia found that catches of some grouper species and the endangered Napoleon wrasse fell by as much as 99 percent from 1995 to 2003, a period coinciding with soaring economic growth in countries where the exotic fish are a delicacy.
"The removal of these large, predatory fish might upset the delicate balance of the coral reef ecosystem," said Helen Scales, who co-authored the study for the Swiss-based World Conservation Union. The study appeared in the online edition of Proceedings of The Royal Societies.
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