Reducing boat ‘traffic’ near coral reefs aids breeding

REDUCING the amount of boat “traffic” near coral reefs encouraged fish to breed more, research reveals.

Coral reef fish reproduce more successfully if motorboat noise is reduced, according to the findings.

Scientists introduced “traffic calming” on three reefs for an entire breeding season – cutting the number of boats within 100 metres, and reducing the speed of those within that distance.

They then tracked the breeding of fish called spiny chromis and found 65 per cent of nests on quieter reefs still contained offspring at the end of the season, compared to 40% on reefs with busy motorboat traffic.

Offspring were larger on quieter reefs and each nest also contained more offspring at the end of the season, according to the findings published in the journal Nature Communications.

The research, led by the universities of Exeter and Bristol, was carried out at reefs near Lizard Island Research Station on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Dr Sophie Nedelec, of the University of Exeter, said: “With coral reefs worldwide facing multiple threats, the results of our experiment offer a way to help struggling populations.

“Moving boating channels further away from reefs, driving slowly when approaching reefs, and avoiding anchoring next to reefs provide three simple changes that any boat driver can adopt.”