Fish – General
25.02.2010 by Richard
Chagos is home to at least 784 species of fish that stay near to the shores of the islands including the endemic Chagos clownfish (Amphiprion chagosensis) and many of the larger wrasse and grouper that have already been lost from over-fishing in other reefs in the region.
As well as the healthy communities of reef fish there are significant populations of pelagic (open ocean) fish such as manta rays (Manta birostris), sharks and tuna. Sadly, shark numbers have dramatically declined as a result of illegal fishing boats that seek to remove their fins and also as accidental by-catch in the two tuna fisheries that used to operate seasonally in the Chagos. Prior to the declaration of the Chagos Marine Reserve and the subsequent ban on fishing, skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) and yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) were caught for about two months of the year as their year-long migratory route took them through Chagos waters. The international fleet that followed the schooling fish took 95,590 – 24,784 tonnes of target species (i.e., this figure does not include bycatch) per year while in Chagos waters. By establishing the strictly no-take Chagos Marine Reserve, populations of all these species have been freed from fishing pressures as long as they were within the reserve’s protective boundaries.
