A Global Analysis of the Relationship between Farmed Seaweed Production and Herbivorous Fish Catch.

ABSTRACT: Globally, farmed seaweed production is expanding rapidly in shallow marine habitats. While seaweed farming provides vital income to millions of artisanal farmers, it can negatively impact shallow coral reef and seagrass habitats. However, seaweed farming may also potentially provide food subsidies for herbivorous reef fish such as the Siganidae, a valuable target family, resulting in increased catch. Comparisons of reef fish landings across the central Philippines revealed that the catch of siganids was positively correlated to farmed seaweed production whilst negatively correlated to total reef fish catch over the same period of time. We tested the generality of this pattern by analysing seaweed production, siganid catch, and reef fish catch for six major seaweed-producing countries in th

SUBMITTER: Hehre EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4760753 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature