| The Seashores Of East Africa |
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In addition to the three main habitats, rocky shores, sand beaches, mud flats, lagoons and algal beds also support communities of species which contribute to the overall diversity of marine life in the region. Of vital interest though are the different species of fish which depend on and support the underwater ecosystem. The Indian ocean boasts of exceptional fish species ranging from the Whitetip reef sharks, found in large numbers on the reef, the colourful, brush-like teethed schooling banner fish, the whale shark, which is the largest living fish species, the long jawed Squirrelfish, which is the largest of its type, the yellow band angle fish among others. The Whitetip reef sharks are found in large numbers on reef, but people aggressively hunt them for their meat and liver, putting these sharks in the vulnerable, meaning that there’s a special concern because it is sensitive to pressure by particular human activities or natural events. The meat and liver are sold for human consumption, despite the liver being reported as toxic. Although this reef shark is widely distributed, its restricted habitat, depth range, small litter size, and moderately late age at maturity mean that its rebound potential is low and it may become increasingly threatened with rising fishing pressure. It is believed that some 58 per cent of the world's coral reefs are threatened by human activities. The impacts of global warming and coral bleaching, including the El Niño event in 1998 caused the loss of 90 per cent of the corals in some parts of the Indian Ocean, representing 5 per cent of the world's reef area. Much of this damage passed almost unnoticed by the world's policy-makers. Marine scientists point out that had such levels of damage occured in terrestrial environments, they would have caused a major public outcry. Pollution and climate change are the primary environmental and social concerns in the Islands of the Indian Ocean, while freshwater shortage and unsustainable exploitation of fisheries and other living resources are the primary environmental and social concerns in East Africa. An all out war should be instigated to mitigate the impacts and reduce the drivers, of the three environmental concerns—freshwater shortage; solid waste pollution; and climate change, as well as addressing social and institutional causes and effects. If this is not done, and soon enough, then East Africa should brace itself for a dry fish season, and a long one for that matter. In the face of warming ocean waters due to climate change, some coral reefs off East Africa are demonstrating unusual resiliency. Throughout the world’s seas, rising surface temperatures make reefs susceptible to fatal “bleaching”— a sickness that occurs when coral species discharge the algae that live within their tissues. Such closures allow the reef fish to thrive, and the fish, in turn, to keep the algae population in check. Without enough fish to feed on the algae, it would otherwise smother the corals. Those sites without any specific management measures remain degraded; one site has experienced an explosion of sea urchins—pests that feed on corals. After a 1998 bleaching event off Tanzania’s coast wiped out up to 45 percent of the region’s corals, they recovered rapidly. With all these problems threatening to deplete marine life, an organization, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) monitored these reefs, and continue to protect the corals by training park staff in protected areas. They attribute the reef recovery partly due to bans on commercial fishing, which allows the reef fish to thrive. However, appropriate measures are yet to be taken to control the explosion of sea urchins or pests that feed on corals, as the wildlife conservationists uplift their efforts to protect endangered species and the habitats they depend on. |
