Members of the public are to expect significant coral deaths if sea surface temperatures (SSTs) exceed the temperatures normally experienced in the hottest month, says Ministry of Fisheries director Neomai Ravitu.
She said corals that were partially to totally bleached for long periods often died during this time.
She said scientists were discovering that the ecological impacts of coral decline could have detrimental effects on reef communities.
“Coral reefs are natural barriers that absorb the force of waves and storm surges, thus providing protection to coastal communities,” she said.
“Without these natural barriers and human disturbances, coastal communities now rely on man-made sea walls that are expensive, less effective, and environmentally damaging to construct.
“Bleached corals also compounds the overfishing crisis by removing links in the food web and depriving related marine species on habitats to reproduce, shelter and feed, which Ms Ravitu said increased loss of corals through coral bleaching and subsequent overgrowth of algae may also increase the incidence of ciguatera fish poisoning.
“Ciguatera fish poisoning is caused by toxic phytoplankton that reside on algae, such as those of the genus Gambierdiscus.
“These toxic algae are eaten by small grazing fish and invertebrates, which in turn are eaten by larger fish and the concentration of the toxins, are increased as they move up the food chain.
“Larger predatory fish are especially dangerous for people to eat because the toxin becomes stronger and more concentrated as it moves up the food chain from the plant-eating fish to the larger predatory. The liver and other internal organs of fish are the most toxic.
“People eating ciguatoxic fish may experience numbness, muscle pains, nausea and in extreme cases death may occur through respiratory failure.”
