Scientists say coral fish could suffer from climate change just as much as the reefs they live in.
Over 400,000 species of fish live in or around coral reefs and the lives of many of them depended on the health of corals, said Dr Philip Munday from the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, based at James Cook University in Townsville.
"We have already seen episodes of mass die-off of corals as a result of warmer waters associated with global warming," Dr Munday said.
"The problem for specialist coral fishes is that when the corals die, the fish have nowhere else to go.
"Other kinds of fish live more independently, but depend on reefs for shelter in the juvenile stage of their life."
Like the corals, coral fish appeared to prefer a temperature-stable environment and heating of the water could affect them in unpredictable ways, he said.
Warmer water could lead to higher survival rates in baby fish but could also send a signal to adults to stop breeding, as reproduction was often governed by water conditions.
Recent research has shown that some species might grow more slowly if temperatures went above their preferred range.
"The bottom line is that managing coral reef fisheries on which people depend for their livelihoods to ensure they are sustainable is going to become a lot more challenging and uncertain," Dr Munday said.
He is lead author of the research study which has been published in the international journal Fish and Fisheries.
The issue of climate impacts on coral reef fishes will be discussed by leading international scientific experts at the Eleventh International Coral Reef Symposium, to be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, next month.
