experiment of fish spillover from a marine reserve in Cuba

• Published in: Environmental biology of fishes Vol. 87; no. 4; pp. 363 - 372
• Main Authors: Amargós, Fabián Pina, Sansón, Gaspar González, del Castillo, Andrés Jiménez, Fernández, Abdel Zayas, Blanco, Félix Martín, de la Red, Wilbert Acosta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 01.04.2010; Springer Netherlands; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agnatha. Pisces; Animal and plant ecology; Animal migration; Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Autoecology; Biodiversity; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Boundaries; Emigration; Environment; Fish; fisheries; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Life Sciences; Marine; Marine fish; Marine protected areas; Nature Conservation; population density; refuge habitats; species dispersal; Tagging; Vertebrata; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Wildlife conservation; Zoology; Cuba; Central America; America; West Indies; Australia, Queensland, Jardine; ASW, Caribbean Sea, Greater Antilles, Cuba; Coral reefs; Tagging; Spillover; Movement; Adult fish; Marine environment; Vertebrata; Pisces; Nature reserve; Coral reef
• ISSN: 0378-1909; 1573-5133
• DOI: 10.1007/s10641-010-9612-2

Several studies on adult fish movement from marine protected areas to zones open to fishing activity conclude spillover is present, but most of these investigations use indirect evidence and small-sized species of little commercial importance. This paper reports the effects of manipulating a density gradient on movements of large-sized and commercially-important fish across “Jardines de la Reina” Marine Reserve boundaries, using tagging methods and visual census. Tagging was carried out using dart tags and modified spearguns at an experimental and a control site. Density of fish was experimentally manipulated on the unprotected side of the boundary. Before experimental manipulation, fish density was similar in both experimental and control sites and on both sides of the boundaries. After manipulation, fish density in the unprotected side of experimental site declined dramatically and a strong gradient was established through the boundary. One month later, this forced gradient disappeared, returning to the situation at the beginning of the study. This last result is due to spillover effect: the mean distance traveled by fish increased 1.5 times (mean from below 200 m to more than 300 m), the mean emigration rate doubled and the immigration rate decreased, allowing density levels to recover after manipulation.