Flooding, climate change and poor fishing practices leading to changes in the ecosystem  are challenges faced by the Caribbean nation the Dominican Republic.   This is seen in Manzanillo Bay in the Dominican Republic.

Manzanillo Bay which is near the border with Haiti there were high winds earlier on in the year which were due to global warming and the change in weather patterns.  This submerged many small buildings in the water. Places that were dry were submerged. Manzanillo Bay is home to the mangrove forests in the Dominican Republic. The fisherman there try  to protect them and the ecosystem they help to maintain.  Mangroves store carbon even better than traditional forests.  Carbon storage slows down global warming so the Dominican Republic will be hard hit by the effects of climate change according to the “Global Climate Risk Index 2014.”  The mangroves are areas for little fish to grow and offer protection against storms and floods.  

 The climate change has led to warmer ocean temperatures and ocean acidification. This is detrimental for coral reefs that are also protective for smaller fish.   Without protection from the mangroves and coral reefs there will be a smaller population of fish for the fisherman to earn their livelihood from. 

Manzanillo Bay is home to snapper, barracuda, grouper and other commercial fish. Its shallow water serves as as a spawning ground for fish to lay eggs and flourish.  The bay is also facing environmental problems duet to fertilizer and chemical waste that runs off into it from the rice fields that drain into it.

 Dragnet fishing a practice in which large nets are dragged across the bottom of the bay catching with it small fish, parrot fish,  fish eggs and sea grass is also destructive here in Manzanillo Bay.

Parrot fish are bright and colorful fish are being caught to become aquarium fish.  Instead of breeding in the Bay where they help with coral health they are caught to be attractive pets.    This fish eats algae off the reefs and also excretes waste as sand. They can produce up to 200 pounds of sand per year.  This is important as rising sea levels erode Dominican beaches.

 The different efforts of the local fisherman and the government  to improve the environmental issues in Manzanillo Bay include:

1) Efforts to preserve the mangroves and the ecosystem that they help maintain.

2) Introduction of safe fishing practices.

3) Convincing fisherman to stop the practice of dragnet fishing which removes small fish, fish eggs and their habitat. 

4) Recommending hook and line fishing, spear diving and trapping fish rather than dragnet fishing which is destructive to the environment.

5) Educating young fisherman to realize the importance of the mangroves and the parrotfish in the Bay so that they continue to protect the Bay in the future.  

 

Sources:

 

america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/2/6/dominican-republic-climate.html

 

www.indexmundi.com/dominican_republic/environment_current_issues.html

 

www.fess-global.org/Publications/Other/dr_esaf_full_report.pdf