Rabbits to the Rescue

The overpopulation of rabbits to any landscape is devastating, the overpopulation of rabbit fish in the ocean, especially the coral reef is comforting. The reason coral is dying out is because excess algae is resting on the organisms and suffocating it. Think of your goldfish tank with no filter. And the reason the algae is so overgrown is solely due to an increase in human activity.
"When a coral reef is weakened or damaged through human activity such as climate change or pollution or by a natural disaster like a cyclone, the coral will usually recover provided it is not choked by fast-growing marine algae," explains Professor David Bellwood of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University.
Where original coral grazers, the parrot fish and surgeon fish, fail to consume large amounts of algae, the rabbit fish thrive. The rabbit fish were caught on underwater videocams, in schools of up to 15 fish, grazing the crest, slopes and outer flats of the reef, and chomping away at more than ten times the rate of the other weed-eaters. Parrot fish tend to become intimidated by large amounts of algae and prefer to consume new growth.
Rabbit fish, who have never inhabited the coral reefs before, now play a crucial role in not only the survival but the maintenance of coral ecosystems, and should not be overlooked. Source.

Protect the Parrot fish, Relief for the Reef

Professor Peter Mumby, a marine ecologist from Exeter University and lead author of the journal Nature, said: "We are seeing more and more coral reefs becoming just overgrown with seaweed."
One belief of the decline in Coral Reefs is the idea that when people move in; fish swim out, leaving the reef to be overgrown and smothered in a build-up of algae and seaweed.
The Coral Reefs in the Caribbean are amid some of the most seriously distressed. They are quickly transforming from coral-conquered domains into algal-infested asylums.
The seaweed growth is boosted by human activity, such as fertilizers washing off from agricultural land into the coastal waters, and over-fishing, Professor Mumby explained.
But there is hope that lives among the damaged. Just, not in enough numbers.
"Parrot Fish cruise around, grazing away much of the seaweed. They play a very important role in the ecosystem," the researcher explained. But the Parrot Fish are facing some threat. In the same area that is suffering the most serious reef-scarcity; there is also a decline in the Parrot Fish population. "..To prevent reefs from becoming damaged beyond repair," Mumby said, "would be to protect Parrot Fish that live around the reef." The solution? or One solution, would be to maintain/manage the Parrot Fish in a fishery to build numbers. "The ability of a reef to recover is much more difficult if you remove Parrot Fish."