Fishing
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Over fishing
Reefs are suffering directly and indirectly from the increasing pressure of mans' resource. Overfishing is one driving pressure on the Great Barrier Reef. Over-fishing in general is also a damaging problem to many coral reefs around the world. Specifically to the Great Barrier Reef, it has caused a major impact on the ecosystem as well.
As much as 40% of the world’s fishing grounds are now in waters deeper than 200 metres and many deep-water species are likely to be overexploited. Contributing factors to the current level of overfishing include:
technological advances that have made large-scale fishing easier
subsidies that keep too many boats on the water
poorly arranged Fisheries Partnership Agreements that allow foreign fleets to overfish in the waters of developing countries
By taking more fish than we logically can we are causing mass habitat destruction.
GBR runoff
Good water quality is the reason why the Great Barrier Reef is one of the most beautiful, diverse and complex ecosystems in the world.
Photo by Zephyrance Lou