Batfish saviour of corals
an endangered creature holds the key to arresting the decline of coral reefs. It is the batfish (Platax pinnatus). This timid fish has a surprising capacity of cleaning up dense weedy strands that smother inshore coral reefs and result in a macro-algal dominance over it.
This overgrowth of macro-algal weeds on coral reefs is difficult to reverse but not impossible. The overgrowth is referred to as a phase-shift. Batfish fits this bill.
At the same time it has thrown new challenges, as the fish may be one of the last intact herbivore populations capable of recovering coral reefs.
The findings came to notice during a recent study by scientists from arc Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Australia. International researches have been associating the phase-shift of corals with habitat loss.Algae dominance is accentuated by overfishing of weed-eaters like parrotfish and surgeonfish