Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
Climate change, overfishing and pollution are threatening coral reefs worldwide, according to researchers, and their capacity to provide essential benefits and services to humans has drastically decreased.
A study published Friday in the journal One Earth offered a comprehensive look at the impact diminishing coral reef coverage has had on ecosystem services, that is, the ability of reefs to provide food and livelihoods to humans.
Global coverage of living coral has been halved since the 1950s, according to the study, and has come with a proportional decline in fish catches and abundance, as well as biodiversity.
"Coral reefs are known to be important habitats for biodiversity and are particularly sensitive to climate change, as marine heat waves can cause bleaching events," Tyler Eddy, research scientist at the Fisheries and Marine Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland, said in a news release. "Coral reefs provide important ecosystem services to humans, through fisheries, economic opportunities and protection from storms."
Coral bleaching occurs when sources of stress, including changes in temperature, cause coral to expel the algae living in its tissue, which turns it white. Bleached coral is still alive, but much more vulnerable to disease and starvation.
In addition to providing a habitat for fish, coral reefs also act as a natural barrier protecting shorelines from waves and storms.
Eddy and his colleagues analyzed living coral cover across the globe against coral-associated fish catches, fish abundance, biodiversity and consumption of fishes by coastal Indigenous groups.
They found that the volume of fish caught peaked in 2002 and has been in decline since despite increased fishing efforts. The catch-per-unit effort, a metric that indicates abundance, has decreased by 60 per cent since 1950.
The team of researchers also calculated a 63 per cent decline in biodiversity with the loss of coral.
"Our analysis indicates that the capacity of coral reefs to provide ecosystem services has declined by about half globally," William Cheung of the University of British Columbia's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries said. "This study speaks to the importance of how we manage coral reefs not only at regional scales, but also at the global scale, and the livelihoods of communities that rely on them."
The authors of the study note that achieving climate change emissions targets and reducing local impacts can help reduce stress on reefs and allow them to continue providing ecosystem services.
Maintaining these services is essential for coastal Indigenous peoples, the authors wrote, as their consumption of seafood is 15 times that of non-Indigenous populations, and therefore they rely on these habitats heavily for nutrition.
"Coral reef biodiversity and fisheries take on added importance for Indigenous communities, small island developing states and coastal populations where they may be essential to traditions and cultural practices," the authors wrote. "The reduced capacity of coral reefs to provide ecosystem services undermines the well-being of millions of people with historical and continuing relationships with coral reef ecosystems."
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a Grade 4 student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.