Resources Overview
Mayotte’s reefs are relatively well studied, and harbor more than 200 species of coral. They were adversely affected by a bleaching event in 1982-83, which apparently caused mortality and degradation on about 36 percent of the fringing reefs. Crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks since 1983 have been a major problem, although a bounty system resulted in fishermen collecting large numbers, with a peak of some 8 000 collected in 1998. The 1998 bleaching event caused even more widespread mortality, with greater than 90 percent mortality recorded on the outer slopes. Recovery from this event is now being noted, particularly on the inshore reefs. Fisheries and tourism are important activities, with some 3 600 fishermen and 9 000 visitor arrivals per year in the late 1990s. Two protected areas have been established, although these only cover some 2 percent of the total area of the lagoon. A comprehensive management plan for the lagoon was under development in late 2000.