Overfishing is another problem, however, and not just for highly exploited reefs such as those in Australia and the Caribbean. Some of the world’s most remote reefs are also being targeted for large commercial fish species. This site in the Domincan Republic’s Samana Bay is likely being affecting by both heavy sedimentation and agricultural nutrient runoff from a nearby river, causing the sea fan and soft corals to die.

Photograph: Jeff Yonover/for The Nature Conservancy