Coral bleaching events degrade the habitat structure that reef fish depend on, creating welfare crises that cascade through fish communities.
Reef fish welfare is inseparable from coral reef health. As coral dies following bleaching events, the structural complexity, food resources, and shelter that fish communities depend on disappears. Fish experiencing this habitat collapse show physiological stress responses, altered feeding, increased predation vulnerability, and disrupted reproduction. The welfare of reef fish communities is therefore directly determined by the trajectory of climate change and local stressors like pollution and overfishing that compound bleaching impacts.