11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

22.854
Short-Term Recovery Of Exploited Coral Reef Fish Communities Under
Customary Management in New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
Ryan WALKER 1 , Fraser HARTLEY 1 , Tau MOROVE 1 , Maunoa KARO 1 , Helen
PERKS* 1 , James COMLEY 2
1 PNG Marine Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Kavieng, Papua New Guinea,
2 University of the South Pacific, Institute of Applied Science, Suva, Fiji
Papua New Guinea (PNG) supports some of the world’s most healthy and biologically
diverse coral reefs. Coastal communities have customary tenure over fringing reefs and
inshore fishing resources. Closure of an area of reef to harvesting has historically been
employed as a form of customary management. This study investigates the short-term
recovery of moderately exploited coral reef fish communities under such a management
system. Fish size, abundance, species diversity and habitat variables were surveyed by
underwater visual census at three managed sites immediately before closure and at three
nearby fished (control) sites. Surveys were then replicated one year after closure of the
managed areas. After one year of closure, our results suggest a significant increase in
biomass and diversity of the fish communities within managed areas, compared to the
control sites. More detailed analysis suggests significant increases in biomass and
diversity within the herbivorous and invertivorous trophic levels plus an increase in
piscivore diversity within the fish communities at the managed sites. Piscivore biomass
significantly decreased within the control sites. The density of the fish communities
remained largely unchanged, with the exception of piscivorous fish, which showed signs
of significant increase within the managed areas. Hard coral cover, however, appeared to
deteriorate significantly within both managed and control sites and concurrent increased
algal cover suggests possible wider environmental influences. These preliminary results
show that the closure of moderately exploited reefs by coastal communities in PNG can
result in improvement of the health of reef fish communities after just one year.
22.855
Participatory Reef Fisheries Monitoring in Punta Cana, Dr
Benjamin KUSHNER* 1 , Megan STONE 2 , Renata FERRARI 2 , Liana TALAUE-
MCMANUS 2 , Felimon GAYANILO 3 , Dan HOLSTEIN 3 , Kristine STUMP 3 , John
MCMANUS 3 , Jake KHEEL 4
1 Punta Cana Ecological Foundation, Milton, NH, 2 Marine Affairs and Policy, University
of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science, Miami, FL, 3 National
Center for Coral Reef Research, University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine &
Atmospheric Science, Miami, FL, 4 Punta Cana Ecological Foundation, Punta Cana,
Dominican Republic
The Partnership for Ecologically Sustainable Coastal Areas (PESCA) is a collaborative
research initiative between the University of Miami and the PUNTACANA Ecological
Foundation on the coast of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. It aims to provide a
greater overall local understanding of the ecology and management of reef resources.
PESCA utilizes reef-based fisheries monitoring to evaluate the variability and abundance
of catches, value of fishery, dependence on fishery and, potential impacts on targeted reef
species.
Weekly participatory catch abundance surveys and interviews were conducted at the
Punta Cana Marina to collect data concerning the length, weight and state of maturity of
catches to identify patterns in fishing techniques, target species and sale of these catches.
Interviews determined that over thirty fishermen contribute to the fishery, classified as
snorkel-based and boat-based fishers. Both yolas and buzos catches are heavily
dominated by parrot fish (Family Scardidae), but yolas also receive a large portion of
their catch from conch (Strombus gigas) and lobster (Panularis argus). Yola catches
predominantly have a greater average length and average weight than that of snorkelbased
fishers’ catches.
We will incorporate the results of the study into community-based environmental
education modules. With increased environmental awareness, we envision working with
major stakeholder groups including local fisher organizations and tourism developers in
promoting better-informed management decisions including defining user and protected
zones in the Punta Cana reef ecosystem.
Poster Mini-Symposium 22: Coral Reef Associated Fisheries
22.856
Trap Impact On Coral Reefs: Affects Of Wind-Driven Trap Movement in The Florida
Keys
Cynthia LEWIS* 1 , Stopher SLADE 2 , Kerry MAXWELL 1 , Thomas MATTHEWS 1
1 Fish & Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission,
Marathon, FL, 2 North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, Morehead City, NC
The decline in reef habitat throughout the Florida Keys has been attributed to global, regional,
and local anthropogenic environmental stresses. Frequent winter storms, not to mention
periodic hurricanes, move traps and cause widespread damage to benthic habitat. When coupled
with the high number of traps deployed in Florida Keys waters, the damage to sessile fauna and
loss of benthic cover caused by traps is an added stress that needs to be managed along with the
many other threats to coral communities.
To assess the impact of traps on coral communities following winter storms, lobster traps were
placed in hardbottom and reef habitats commonly used by commercial fishermen in the Florida
Keys. Trap movement, percent cover, and benthic faunal injuries were measured after 26
storms, which occurred over three winters. Traps moved when storms with sustained winds
greater than 15 knots persisted for 2 or more days. Winter storms above this threshold moved
buoyed traps a mean distance of 3.97 m, 3.10 m, and 0.56 m per trap and impacted a mean area
of 4.96 m2, 2.85 m2, and 0.78 m2 per trap at 4 m, 8 m, and 12 m depths respectively. Traps
without buoys and lines, simulating derelict traps, moved a mean distance of 0.42 m and
impacted a mean area of 0.75 m2 per trap. Injuries due to trap movement included scraped,
fragmented, and dislodged sessile fauna, resulting in significant damage to coral, octocoral, and
sponges. Overall loss of benthic cover along the trap movement path ranged from 11% to 17%
depending on habitat. During normal fishing operations, traps typically shifted in place as they
settled, with relatively minor impact on benthic habitat.
22.857
Does Commercial Line Fishing On The Great Barrier Reef Put The Bite On Reef Sharks?
Colin SIMPFENDORFER* 1 , Michelle HEUPEL 2 , Ashley WILLIAMS 3 , David WELCH 3,4 ,
Aaron BALLAGH 3
1 Fishing and Fisheries Research Centre, James Cook University, James Cook University, Qld,
Australia, 2 School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville,
Qld, Australia, 3 Fishing and Fisheries Research Centre, James Cook University, Townsville,
Qld, Australia, 4 Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Townsville, Qld,
Australia
The interaction of reef sharks with the commercial line fishery on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR)
was examined using data from compulsory fishery logbooks, commercial fishery observers and
fishery-independent surveys. Grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) was the dominant
species caught by line fisher (62-72% by weight), while whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon
obesus) (16-29%) and blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) (6-13%) were also
regularly encountered. Annual reported commercial landings of reef sharks since 1988 have
mostly been less than 20 t (live weight) for the whole GBR, but peaked at over 30 t from 2001
to 2003. The majority of the commercial landings were reported by a small proportion of the
overall fleet, with less than 10 vessels per year reporting landings of more than one tonne.
Although most vessels did not report shark landings, observer data indicated that on average
each fishing dory catches a shark every second day, although most were released. Fisheryindependent
surveys found that the rate at which reef sharks were lost by line fishers was
approximately 2.2 times the number that were successful brought to the boat. Observer and
fishery-independent data indicated that there were no differences in catch rates between regions
of the GBR, and suggested that catch per unit effort since the early 1990s have been relatively
stable. The fishery-independent surveys indicated catch per unit effort on reefs zoned as nonfishing
were more than double those zoned as open to fishing. No-fishing zones may therefore
provide some level of protection to reef sharks from fishing pressure.
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