21 0.7 t.7 2.2 1.7 3.1 37 4.1 . Aerosol Index Ft<i. 3.1. Transatlantic !lux of Saharan dust as recorded by TOMS satellite. SlHJill 1-.: http//toms.usfc.nasa.l!O\ /aerosoblllH.Iav aero \'X.html causing capability of microbes present on the red. or that shifi the structure of the microbe or sea-bed communities or the reel: thereby affecting the ecology. There is mounting evidence to suggest that some or the declines oecurring on Caribbean coral reels today may be linked to African dust. The 1983 die-on· of the long-spined sea urchin (Section 3.2) and the beginning of the Plague II outbreak in 1997 lbllowed within months of peak dust events in the region. The strongest evidence thus l(tr is that Aspergillus .1ydoll'ii, a known fungal disease affecting sea l(ms, has been identified in its active pathogenic form, in air samples colh:ctcd during Saharan dust events in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but not from clear atmospheric conditions (Garrison et a!. 2003). Aspe1gillus sydo11·ii is associated with soils, docs not reproduce in seawater, has a wide geographical distribution, and occurs on reefs lhr from terrestrial sources of soil. Saharan dust is eroded soil and must thus be seen as a possibh: source of the disease. Although dust has been making this journey ll>r thousands or years, recent changes in climate sinee the mid1960s, particularly decreased raini(tll and desertification in northern Afi·ica, have resulted in increased amounts of dust crossing the Atlantic. 4.11 ASSESSMENT OF MAIN CARIBBEAN SEA SERVICES: LINKS TO IIUMAN WELL-BEING AND CONDITION AND TRENDS 4.1 Fisheries•·• 4.1.1 lmportmrce of Fisheries In the tenninology of the iviA the li\ ing marine resources of the Caribbean Sea constitute the most important 'provisioning' service of the ecosystem. Fisheries have always been a souree of livclih,>ods and sustenance lbr the people of the region. eontributing towards fbod security, poverty alleviation. employment, foreign-exchange earnings. and the development or rural and coastal communities. reercation. and tourism. The fisheries of the Caribbean Sea arc. with few exceptions. multi-species, small-scale lishcrics conducted by low-capital. labour-intensi\'e operators. The main dr.:wih:d tu thL'ir managcmcm - 39- nf the tishr.:ric:-. of thL· t'atihhl.'i!O mu.J issues rd:uing in Annr.::oo. I :1\ ailahh: