Ecology of tropical seafood systems: connecting climate, coral reefs and human health

Marine heatwaves are transforming coral reefs, causing mass coral bleaching, regime shifts and biodiversity declines across the tropics. Such ecological changes are expected to collapse reef fisheries and impact the supply of nutritious and affordable seafood in the tropics, yet we lack an interdisciplinary, data-driven understanding of these issues.

Here, we use over 20 years of ecological data from Seychelles to assess how reef fisheries respond to climate-driven coral mortality and collect information on reef seafood and diets to understand how coral reefs contribute to human health. These studies provide a lens for understanding how ecosystems support vital local seafood systems, helping efforts to support tropical food security through ecosystem management.