Reef Fisheries

Reefs are "the rain forests" of the sea, and as an ecosystem and exploitable resource reefs are of major concern in conservation and fishing issues. This book provides comprehensive coverage of the biology, conservation and explanation of reef fish and associated fisheries.

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Reef ecosystems extend throughout the tropics. Exploited by small-scale fishers, reefs supply food for millions of people, but there are growing worries about the productivity and current state of these ecosystems. Reef fish stocks display many features of fisheries elsewhere. However, habitat spatial complexity, biological diversity within and among species, ecosystem intricacy and variable means of exploitation make it hard to predict sustainable modes and levels of fishing. This text offers an account of the subject. Starting with the biological basis of reef fish productivity it explores patterns and effects of exploitation before examining available means of stock assessment, management and recovery. It will be a useful text for upper-level students of fish biology, fisheries researchers, ecologists, conservation biologists, social scientists and fisheries policy-makers. This book should be of interest to fish biologists, fisheries scientists, ecologists, conservation biologists, marine biologists.