**5. Conclusions**

As the shallow reef areas in Gazi Bay had low coral cover and low fish abundance, combined with high algae cover, we consider the condition of the reef there to be far from natural [44,83]. Without a longer-term monitoring program, we cannot be certain about the causes of the poor reef condition. Nevertheless, our study demonstrates, for an East African coral reef subject to high fishing pressure, clear relationships between algae growth, live coral cover, and the abundance and diversity of the reef fish assemblages. Increased human impact on the coral reefs (e.g., by increases in fishing pressure, destruction of corals, or discharge of nutrients, the lack of which otherwise helps limit algae growth) will inevitably lead to further changes in reef condition.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, P.D., P.M. and M.K.P.; methodology, P.D. and P.M.; formal analysis, P.D., S.K., M.K.P.; investigation, P.D.; resources, P.D., P.M.; writing—original draft preparation, P.D.; writing—review and editing, M.K.P., P.M., S.K.; visualization, P.D., S.K., M.K.P.; supervision, M.K.P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Institutional Review Board Statement:** Not applicable.

**Data Availability Statement:** The data presented in this study are available in an excel table format on request from the corresponding author.

**Acknowledgments:** Thanks go to the Kenyan Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) for providing the first author with accommodation and their facilities. Thanks are also due to Rupert Ormond for his most helpful comments and editing as well as to the anonymous reviewers.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
