Coral reefs suffer as the relentless hunt for shark fins takes its toll

The Guardian

19 September 2013

The rampant overfishing of sharks, often solely for their fins, is causing a damaging chain reaction that could significantly degrade coral reef systems, a decade-long Australian-led study has found.

Scientists from Australia and Canada, led by the Australian Institute of Marine Science, discovered that the removal of sharks from two remote reef systems led to a sharp decline in the number of fish that help keep coral healthy. Read more