Mesoamerican ReefBy Hannah Kozlowski

Risk of Climate Change

Increased water temperature• 2-3 Fahrenheit • Short period of

time

Algae die• Food for coral

(diminishing)

Species living on coral reef die • 500+ fish species• Salt Water

Crocodile

Coral Bleaching

Risk of Climate Change cont.

Irreparable Damage

Debris • Blown from

coast during storms

Erosion • Due to

hurricanes & severe storms

Higher tides• Due to

increased rainfall

Changing Weather

Risk of Fishing

Overfishing• Fisheries are removing

too many fish from the ecosystem

Fishing out of Season• Lobster is caught all

year

OverfishingLocal Fisheries• Don’t always follow regulations• If illegal to sell to United States sell to local restaurants

Industrial Fishing Fleets• Bottom trawling damages ocean floor near reefs

Exploit Species • Largely hunt Grouper & Snapper• Depleting lobster & conch populations

Aquaculture• Increased demand for shrimp farming • Cause eutrophication of estuary

Fishing Out of Season

Need stricter out of season regulations

Disturbing the lifecycle of a species• Fishing during mating season• Catching mature females so they cannot

lay eggs and sustain the species

Too many fish are removed from the ecosystem to be sustained

WHAT’S BEING DONE?

Sustainable Lobster Traps

Modified Lobster Traps

Allow smaller lobsters to escape

Lobsters can mature

Fisherman do not lose revenue Prevent overfishing of Spiny Lobsters

Bottom Trawling• Disturbs habitats• Scrapes Ocean floor • Captures all plant and

animal species in range

• Belize has banned all bottom trawling – Helping preserve the species

living in Mesoamerican Reefs– Preserves related ecosystems