Climate-induced increases in micronutrient availability for coral reef fisheries

Abstract

Climate-induced increases in micronutrient availability for coral reef fisheriesHighlights d Coral reef fishes are important sources of essential dietary nutrients d Nutrients available to fisheries increased after mass coral bleaching d Iron and zinc were higher in reef fishes caught on macroalgal habitats d Coral reefs can remain key sources of nutritious food despite climate impacts

Linking key human-environment theories to inform the sustainability of coral reefs

“…The presence of top predators is the most sensitive indictor of fishing pressure, followed by the amount of fish biomass, fish trait diversity and finally parrotfish scraping potential. Indeed, parrotfish scraping potential was the least sensitive to all drivers in our model, and herbivorous fish have been shown to continue to support reef fisheries and nutrient yields on heavily disturbed reefs 75 . As expected marine reserves had a positive effect on most of the metrics, but was weak for trait diversity where traits may respond differentially to protection, highlighting the importance of uncovering how individual traits respond to marine reserves 76 .…”

Managing fisheries for maximum nutrient yield

“…Yet, despite recent attention on the role of wild fisheries in global nutrition security (Bennett et al, 2021;Farmery et al, 2021;Golden et al, 2016;Hicks et al, 2019), the relevance of MSY for nutritional outcomes has not been explored. Fish vary widely in their nutrient content (Tacon & Metian, 2013) according to species' life-history traits, phylogeny and environmental conditions (Hicks et al, 2019;Robinson et al, 2022;Vaitla et al, 2018). In a multispecies fishery, the nutrient yield of catches is likely dependent on the nutrient content of the most targeted and abundant stocks, and on gear selectivity for those stocks.…”

“…Fish vary widely in their nutrient content (Tacon & Metian, 2013 ) according to species’ life‐history traits, phylogeny and environmental conditions (Hicks et al, 2019 ; Robinson et al, 2022 ; Vaitla et al, 2018 ). In a multispecies fishery, the nutrient yield of catches is likely dependent on the nutrient content of the most targeted and abundant stocks, and on gear selectivity for those stocks.…”

The role of tropical small-scale fisheries in trace element delivery for a Small Island Developing State community, the Seychelles

“…Trace element concentrations in marine organisms depend on several physiological processes that can be species-, age-, or size-dependent (e.g., Bustamante et al, 1998;Kojadinovic et al, 2007;Metian et al, 2008), and ecological factors such as habitat and diet (e.g., Bodin et al, 2013;Chouvelon et al, 2017;Le Croizier et al, 2016;Metian et al, 2013). In a context of global change that can affect both the physiology and ecology of marine species (Beaugrand and Kirby, 2018;Little et al, 2020), anthropogenic modifications of ecosystems could indirectly affect the levels of essential and non-essential trace elements in marine species (Robinson et al, 2022). Assessing the influence of physiological and ecological factors on species-specific trace element concentrations is thus needed to appreciate the changes in mineral availability for fisheries resources, and consequently in future micronutrient supply and contaminant exposure for SIDS populations.…”