Commercial fish population under threat if corals die

PETALING JAYA: There will be fewer fish on the table if the heatwave leads to the high death toll of coral reefs.

Many commercial fishes like groupers, snappers, emperors, sweet lips and fusiliers will die in their juvenile stages if the corals die, said Universiti Malaysia Terengganu coral reef ecologist (specialising in coral fish) Yusri Yusuf.

“A lot of these fish in their juvenile stage hide in these corals,” said Yusri.

“If a lot of the corals die and crumble, the fishes will be exposed to predators and will die young.

“The population of fish ready for consumption will be affected and we will feel the shortage,” he said.

Universiti Malaya coral reef ecologist Affendi Yang Amri said coral reefs mostly grew along the coast where there were shallow waters and if they died, it would mean the loss of coastal protection.

He said the hard structures of the corals protected the coastal lines by breaking strong sea waves and currents before they hit the shore.

“When they die and crumble, the waves will hit the coastal areas much harder and more frequently, the coasts will erode and many resorts will be flooded,” said Affendi.

“The Government may have to spend millions to build artificial breakwaters.”

He added that the loss of coral reefs would also affect tourism as there would be no corals to see when tourists go diving and snorkelling.