Twice the coral trout in Great Barrier Reef protected zones
Media resources:
- Media release and backgrounder (below)
- Photos (below)
- Video of coral trout on the reef (let us know if you require the original file)
- Full paper
Coral trout in protected ‘green zones’ are not only bigger and more abundant than those in fished ‘blue zones’ of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, but they are also better able to cope with cyclone damage, according to a long-term study published today in Current Biology.
Coral trout biomass has more than doubled since the 1980s in the green zones with most of the growth occurring since the 2004 rezoning. These and other changes identified by the study show that the green zones are contributing to the health of the Great Barrier Reef and that similar approaches may be beneficial for coral reefs around the world. Read More about Twice the coral trout in Great Barrier Reef protected zones