Coral Reef Fish Experience Middle Class Crunch

The economic downturn is making it tough to be a member of the middle class, now there’s evidence that ‘middle class’ coral reef fish are hurting too.

According to a new Wildlife Conservation Society study, reef fish levels along middle class coastal communities in Eastern Africa tend to be significantly lower– up to 4 times lower– than along areas bordering wealthy or poor communities.

Reasons for the disparity are numerous, and they involve a complicated interplay between traditional customs, economic development and population dynamics. But middle class apathy could also be to blame.

• » See also: Mistaken Identity: Hunters Kill Endangered Pygmy Hippo During Pig Hunt!
• » Get EcoWorldly by RSS or sign up by email.

The study revealed that fish levels can remain healthy among poor communities because those communities are typically governed by cultural taboos and customs which warn against overfishing. Furthermore, the use of traditional, low impact fishing methods help to keep the needs of the community in balance with the local ecosystem.

Meanwhile, wealthy communities maintain healthier reefs in large part due to the luxury of depending less upon fishing for sustenance. Although economic affluence means greater access to high impact fishing technology, such as motorized vessels and more efficient gear, the study showed that wealthy communities also boast a more ecologically enlightened population. They have the education and awareness to understand the role that a healthy coral reef can play in ecological health.

Stuck in the middle, however, are communities with intermediate economic growth. As these communities develop technologically, they tend to lose touch with their traditional customs. That means they have the technological wherewithal to overfish, but lack the cultural pressures that keep them from overfishing.

This middle class disconnect ultimately results in unsustainable fisheries and an impoverished reef.

Researchers suggest that the solution may lie in a heartier investment in middle class infrastructure, such as with schools and hospitals. Thus, while those developing suburbs learn to flourish, so too may thrive those precious “suburbs of the sea”– the coral reefs.

Image Credit: Tim Sheerman-Chase on Flickr under a Creative Commons License

Tweet This Post