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11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

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22-29<br />

Alternance Of Opening And Closing Times To Fishing Of A No-Take Zone in<br />

Martinique (Lesser Antilles)<br />

Géraldine CRIQUET* 1<br />

1 EPHE, Perpignan, France<br />

Due to littoral ecosystems degradation and overfishing, a decrease of stocks of coastal<br />

species occurred in Martinique in the last decades. In order to block this process, several<br />

No-Take Zones (NTZs), managed by the Regional Council of Fishery, have been<br />

implemented. The particularity of these NTZs is the possibility of opening for a period<br />

goes from four to six months. The objective of the study is to assess the impact of this<br />

alternance of opening and closing periods on the reef fish community of a Caribbean cost<br />

area, Ilet à Ramier. Experimental fishing with Antillean traps were done simultaneously<br />

in the NTZ and in the adjacent non protected area (NPA) during a closing then an<br />

opening period. Total catches in the NTZ decrease of an half while those of surrounding<br />

area stay equal. But both in opening and closing period, total catches in NTZ are higher<br />

than in NPA. During the closing period, biomass of Acanthuridae, Scaridae and<br />

Lutjanidae are higher in the NTZ, biomass of Serranidae are equal both in NTZ and in<br />

NTA; and Haemulidae are more present in NTA. During the opening period, patterns are<br />

the same except for Serranidae witch biomass is higher outside the NTZ. But, while the<br />

families’ biomass in the NPA stays equal we observe a decrease of Acanthuridae and<br />

overall Scaridae biomass in the NTZ. So what will be the long-term impacts of several<br />

opening periods on the reef fish community and the artisanal fishery operating on the<br />

area?<br />

22-30<br />

Are No-Take Marine Reserves Helping To Sustain Fish Stocks? Tracking Larval<br />

Dispersal And Connectivity Of Fish Populations Within The Great Barrier Reef<br />

Marine Park.<br />

David WILLIAMSON* 1,2 , Richard EVANS 1,2 , Geoff JONES 1,2 , Garry RUSS 1,2 , Simon<br />

THORROLD 3<br />

1 School of Marine & Tropical Biology, James Cook <strong>University</strong>, Townsville, Australia,<br />

2 Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook <strong>University</strong>, Townsville,<br />

Australia, 3 Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole,<br />

MA<br />

No-take marine reserves have generally been established with the primary goal of<br />

protecting or restoring natural states of biodiversity and ecosystem productivity. It has<br />

been widely demonstrated that given time and adequate protection, no-take reserves can<br />

produce clear benefits for exploited species within reserve boundaries. Higher<br />

abundances of target fish species, with larger average sizes, ages and higher potential<br />

reproductive output are commonly demonstrated effects of reserve protection. In recent<br />

years there has been increasing interest in the potential contribution of no-take reserve<br />

networks to the sustainability of fisheries resources. Increased egg production per unit<br />

area of reef, means that reserves may potentially operate as sources of fish larvae. Larvae<br />

which are dispersed to surrounding open reefs may provide a recruitment subsidy to<br />

exploited fish stocks. Limited empirical data on larval dispersal distances, scales of<br />

population connectivity and export effects of no-take marine reserves remains an<br />

impediment to expansion of marine reserve networks. Furthermore, the optimal location,<br />

size and spacing of no-take reserves within networks cannot be accurately defined in the<br />

absence of such data.<br />

Here we outline experimental trials of a new technique which utilises enriched stable<br />

isotopes to provide maternally transmitted markers from female fish to their offspring.<br />

These trials have demonstrated that the technique is effective and safe for use on large<br />

commercially important reef fishes and that treated fish present no consumption risk for<br />

humans. We also provide an overview of a research project utilising these transgenerational<br />

markers to track the dispersal of larvae of two recreationally and<br />

commercially important fish species from no-take marine reserves in the Great Barrier<br />

Reef Marine Park.<br />

Oral Mini-Symposium 22: Coral Reef Associated Fisheries<br />

22-31<br />

Temporal Effects Of Marine Reserves On Target Fishery Species On Near-Shore Reefs Of<br />

The Great Barrier Reef, Australia<br />

Richard EVANS* 1 , David WILLIAMSON 1 , Garry RUSS 1<br />

1 School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook <strong>University</strong>, Townsville, Australia<br />

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was established in 1975 to enable the management of the<br />

world’s largest network of coral reefs. Access to the reef is limited by boat size and weather<br />

conditions. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is routinely referred to as one of the best managed<br />

coral reef systems. However, the GBR still faces similar issues to the rest of the world, i.e.<br />

nutrient run-off, coral bleaching, tourism, and exploitation. To manage these impacts in a large<br />

area, a multiple-use zoning plan was fully implemented in 1988. In 2004, the new<br />

Representative Areas Program was implemented to protect biodiversity, which increased the<br />

protected areas from 4.5% to 33.4% of the entire Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Since 1998,<br />

underwater visual surveys were conducted around three near-shore continental island groups<br />

over 600km apart. These easily accessible reefs are heavily used by recreational fishers and not<br />

commercial fishers. This study demonstrates greater density and biomass in no-take marine<br />

reserves consistently over at least 5 years for two target species, Plectropomus spp. (coral trout)<br />

and Lutjanus carpnotatus (Snapper). Thus showing that recreational fisheries can impact on fish<br />

stocks as much as commercial and/or subsistence fisheries. Furthermore, with the<br />

implementation of the Representative Area Program, our research group designed a BACI<br />

sampling experiment to test the effect of the new zoning plan on the target fishery species.<br />

Recent results from this study demonstrate rapid increases in density and biomass for both<br />

species (Plectropomus spp. and L. carponotatus) by at least 50% within two years. This<br />

presentation also investigates temporal trends of the broader fish community and the benthos in<br />

relation to no-take marine reserve protection.<br />

22-32<br />

Science to Support Coral Reef Fisheries Management: Lessons from the U.S. Coral Reef<br />

Conservation Program<br />

Thomas HOURIGAN* 1 , James BOHNSACK 2 , Robert SCHROEDER 3<br />

1 Office of Habitat Conservation, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, MD,<br />

2 Southeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service, Miami, FL,<br />

3 Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service, Honolulu,<br />

HI<br />

The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef<br />

Conservation Program supports effective management and sound science to preserve, sustain,<br />

and restore valuable coral reef ecosystems. Fisheries on U.S. reefs face many of the same<br />

challenges as those elsewhere, and addressing the adverse impacts of fishing on reef ecosystems<br />

has been a major area of focus over the program’s first seven years. Integrated habitat mapping,<br />

monitoring, and targeted ecological research in both the Atlantic and Pacific are providing new<br />

insights and improved fishery management tools.<br />

1) Habitat-stratified monitoring of reef fishes has enhanced survey precision, provided insights<br />

in how fishes use different habitats, and allowed fishery independent stock assessments of both<br />

targeted and non-targeted species.<br />

2) New techniques allow researchers to identify nursery grounds of fish and track ontogenetic<br />

movements to the reef.<br />

3) Broad-scale geographic surveys across gradients of fishing effort indicate that even low<br />

levels of exploitation can fundamentally alter biomass of exploited species and trophic<br />

relationships in ecosystems.<br />

4) Hydroacoustic surveys are revealing spawning aggregation sites that can be linked with<br />

protection.<br />

5) Monitoring of marine reserves has confirmed their efficacy in increasing the size and number<br />

of previously exploited species within reserve boundaries.<br />

Examples of where these research results are being applied to U.S. reef fisheries management<br />

and challenges for future research will be presented.<br />

190

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