Overfishing and the degradation of coral reefs across the Caribbean and Pacific islands are pushing many fish, including food sources like tunas and groupers, towards extinction.
This is according to two regional Red List reports published on Thursday by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Conservation status of marine bony shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean Red List report includes assessments of 1,360 marine bony shorefishes – a group that includes most fish species found near the shore across 38 Caribbean countries and territories.
The report says that approximately five per cent of marine bony shorefishes in the Caribbean are threatened, due to overfishing, invasive lionfish predation and the degradation of coral reefs and estuaries, which provide habitats and feeding grounds for many species.
The release of the two reports coincides with the on-going UN Ocean Conference in New York, where IUCN has been calling for urgent action on climate change and marine plastic pollution.
Thank you for writing about a VERY important topic indeed.