HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 31 (ACN) The Cuban Ministry of Food Industry (MINAL) announced on Tuesday the adoption of three measures, which will soon be made official through a Ministerial Resolution, for the conservation of parrotfish and surgeonfish species.
The action is taken following the inclusion of these fish in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as "Near Threatened" species, MINAL disclosed on its Twitter account.
For the commercial fleet, in fishing operations with gill nets and trawlers, only the landing of up to 3% of the total catch will be authorized.
Only research fishing directed at parrotfish and surgeonfish species will be allowed, after obtaining an environmental license.
Populations of these herbivorous fish have decreased significantly in Havana's reefs, compared to the 1970s, according to MINAL's Facebook page.
In the Caribbean, these organisms are among the most endangered in the reef, due to overfishing, incidental fishing and pollution, as the most influential factors, with evidence of effects on food chains and decrease in size.
Resolution 160/2011 of the Cuban Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment protects the Scaridae (parrotfish) and Acanthuridae (surgeonfish) families in Appendix II.
In the IUCN Red List they are endangered species, due to fishing and loss of ecosystems.
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