Abstract
The reduction of herbivorous fishes and invertebrates due to overfishing and the mass mortality of the long-spined urchin Diadema antillarum in 1983 have resulted in a biological extreme disturbance in the Caribbean coralline systems, where several species of macroalgae, some allelopathics, have proliferated in the last fifteen years. The dominant macroalgae that live in the deep reef slope and in the sand plains are characterized for their great competitive ability for space and have been invading the shallow coralline banks (< 13 m), killing corals and other organisms. If invasion continues, biodiversity will be drastically reduced, and therefore, the source of natural products for therapeutic purposes will also be affected. The natural beauty of the reefs will be lost, and serious erosive problems will arise. Thus, it is very urgent to elaborate a fisheries strategy to give a truce for this biologically important component of coralline systems.
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References
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