Summary of BREAM Report: Baseline condition of the coral reefs and fishes across three depth zones of the forereef of Bermuda.
Murdoch TJT, Murdoch JMH (2016) Baseline condition of the coral reefs and fishes across three depth zones of the forereef of Bermuda. BREAM: Bermuda Reef Ecosystem Analysis and Monitoring Programme Report, Bermuda Zoological Society, Flatts Bermuda. BBP-2016-237. Link HERE Synopsis Bermuda’s coral reefs protect our beaches and coastal properties from erosion, and high coral cover and abundant parrotfishes make our coral reefs healthy. Predatory fishes like snappers and rockfishes play a critical role in maintaining reef health by eating the kinds of fishes which damage corals and promote healthy herbivorous (plant-eating) fish populations. In this report, we provide clear evidence that historically abundant predatory fishes are rare and at critically low biomass levels on Bermuda reefs. The cover of corals remains high at forereef locations, but is lower at 30m depth, within the lagoon and particularly at nearshore reefs, where marine plants are overly abundant and plant-eating fishe