We paddle through a channel with a white sand bottom and walls of coral, spotting lobster antennae poking out from crevices.

WSJ: The Ultimate Breathtaking Dive

When all the seaweed-eating fish in an area are removed, for example, the seaweed can take over completely, reducing coral cover and thus the diversity of bottom-dwelling organisms.

ECONOMIST: What price coral?

Among the new measures proposed are the phasing out of bottom trawls, the heavy gear that scrapes material from the bottom of the sea - fish, coral and anything else in its way.

BBC: Fishing's global footprint

Campaigners, with the support of marine scientists, have repeatedly tried to persuade countries to agree to an international ban, arguing that the indiscriminate nature of bottom-trawling is causing irreversible damage to coral reefs and slow-growing fish species, which can take decades to reach maturity and are therefore slow to replenish their numbers.

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