« Back to Wildlife protection
Maldives
Working with government to manage coral reef fisheries
The greatest diversity of life in the Maldives is associated with its coral reefs and healthy reefs are also vital for tourism and fisheries. One of the great attractions of the Maldives as a tourist destination is the opportunity to dive the reefs and see a fantastic array of colourful fish in their natural habitat.
Coral reef fish are also of direct fishery value. Well over 50 different types of reef fish are targeted for consumption by tourists and local people in the Maldives, and demand is rising rapidly as tourism escalates. There is also a ready market for chilled and live reef fish for export. In addition to the food fishery, over 110 reef fish species are collected for the international aquarium trade.
These fisheries need to be managed to ensure they are sustainable and not damaging the reef ecosystem or causing population declines. MCS is working with the Marine Research Centre in the Maldives to collect vital data on the fisheries and the results will be used to produce a management plan.
An innovative part of the programme is the launch of ‘Fishwatch Maldives’, an underwater recording scheme that involves dive centres throughout the Maldives and will provide detailed information about the health of populations of targeted species.
The Maldives Reef Fish Project is funded through the Darwin Initiative (Defra, UK) and supported by the Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources, Maldives.
