Coral reef ecosystems support extraordinary fish biodiversity. The degradation of reefs through bleaching, pollution and overfishing affects the welfare of millions of individual fish species.
The degradation of coral reef ecosystems causes welfare harm to individual fish through habitat loss, reduced food availability and increased vulnerability to predation. Fish that lose the structural complexity of coral habitat lose hiding places that protect them from predators - predation risk increases substantially in degraded reefs. Species that are obligate coral feeders face starvation as their food source disappears. Bleached reefs with reduced fish diversity show altered social dynamics for remaining species. The welfare of individual reef fish is thus inseparable from the health of the ecosystem they inhabit. Ecosystem-level interventions including emission reductions, fishing restrictions and reef restoration protect individual fish welfare through the maintenance of the ecological conditions they require.