mesoamerican reef
DESCRIPTION
Mesoamerican Reef. By Hannah K ozlowski . Risk of Climate Change . Coral Bleaching . Risk of Climate Change cont. . Changing Weather. Risk of Fishing . Overfishing. Fishing Out of Season. What’s Being Done? . Sustainable Lobster Traps. Bottom Trawling. Disturbs habitats - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Mesoamerican ReefBy Hannah Kozlowski
Risk of Climate Change
Increased water temperature• 2-3 Fahrenheit • Short period of
time
Algae die• Food for coral
(diminishing)
Species living on coral reef die • 500+ fish species• Salt Water
Crocodile
Coral Bleaching
Risk of Climate Change cont.
Irreparable Damage
Debris • Blown from
coast during storms
Erosion • Due to
hurricanes & severe storms
Higher tides• Due to
increased rainfall
Changing Weather
Risk of Fishing
Overfishing• Fisheries are removing
too many fish from the ecosystem
Fishing out of Season• Lobster is caught all
year
OverfishingLocal Fisheries• Don’t always follow regulations• If illegal to sell to United States sell to local restaurants
Industrial Fishing Fleets• Bottom trawling damages ocean floor near reefs
Exploit Species • Largely hunt Grouper & Snapper• Depleting lobster & conch populations
Aquaculture• Increased demand for shrimp farming • Cause eutrophication of estuary
Fishing Out of Season
Need stricter out of season regulations
Disturbing the lifecycle of a species• Fishing during mating season• Catching mature females so they cannot
lay eggs and sustain the species
Too many fish are removed from the ecosystem to be sustained
WHAT’S BEING DONE?
Sustainable Lobster Traps
Modified Lobster Traps
Allow smaller lobsters to escape
Lobsters can mature
Fisherman do not lose revenue Prevent overfishing of Spiny Lobsters
Bottom Trawling• Disturbs habitats• Scrapes Ocean floor • Captures all plant and
animal species in range
• Belize has banned all bottom trawling – Helping preserve the species
living in Mesoamerican Reefs– Preserves related ecosystems