Researchers are calling for tighter controls on the live reef
fish trade, a growing threat to coral reefs, in letters to the
international journal Science. Twenty of the world's leading
marine scientists, including a team from the Department of
Zoology, University of Cambridge, have called for action by
governments to halt the unsustainable plunder of the world's
ocean resources. For decades tropical coral reefs have battled
for survival against a complex array of threats including
pollution, coral bleaching triggered by rising sea temperatures
and over-fishing. In particular, the health of the reefs is
being compromised by the live reef fish trade, a serious threat
that has prompted scientists to call for tighter regulations on
the exploitation of reef resources which are particularly
important to developing tropical nations. The scientists say
there is now sufficient evidence to conclude that reforming
markets, which have dramatically expanded as a result of global
trade liberalization, is an important stra