New reports have suggested that the coral health has improved and that fish numbers have risen considerably. The report of green zones on the Great Barrier Reef suggested this conclusion.

Dr. Laurence McCook the lead author has suggested that the report has suggested a lot of positive points for the reef species. The reef species like coral trout and red emperor have increased in number in the no-take zones. The no-take zones are places where fishing was prohibited about 5 years ago.

About 33% of the Great Barrier Reef is covered by the green zones. He also said that now they were able to find fishes which were bigger in size, which the people usually like to catch. These were the kind of fishes that produced a large number of larvae.

The protected areas would now be contributing a lot to the reproduction of this larvae and help repopulating the lost species which will be very beneficial for the fishing industry. In the protected zones the number of crown of thorns starfish was found to be lower.