Length-based assessment of sustainability benchmarks for coral reef fishes in Puerto Rico

• Published in: Environmental conservation Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 221 - 231
• Main Authors: AULT, JERALD S., SMITH, STEVEN G., LUO, JIANGANG, MONACO, MARK E., APPELDOORN, RICHARD S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.09.2008; CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
• Subjects: Agnatha. Pisces; Animal populations; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Assessments; average size; Benchmarks; Biological and medical sciences; Conservation; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Coral reefs; coral-reef fish; Ecological sustainability; Economics; Exploitation; Fish; Fish populations; Fisheries; Fisheries management; Fisheries science; fishery exploitation; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Marine fishes; Mathematical models; Mortality; Ocean fisheries; Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking; Pisces; Puerto Rico; Spawning; Sustainability; Sustainable fisheries management; Sustainable management; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Wildlife conservation; Central America; Puerto Rico; America; West Indies; United States > US; ASW, Greater Antilles, Puerto Rico; coral-reef fish; Puerto Rico; average size; fishery exploitation; Vertebrata; Fishery; Pisces; Reef animal; Coral reef; Exploitation; Environmental protection
• ISSN: 0376-8929; 1469-4387
• DOI: 10.1017/S0376892908005043

The sustainability of multispecies coral reef fisheries is a key conservation concern given their economic and ecological importance. Empirical estimation and numerical model analyses were conducted to evaluate exploitation status via resource reference points (or sustainability benchmarks) for coral reef fishes of the snapper-grouper complex in Puerto Rico. Mean size (L, in length) of animals in the exploited part of the population was estimated from fishery-dependent and fishery-independent size composition data and used as an indicator variable of exploitation rates. In application, fishing mortality rates estimated from L of various data sources were comparable. Of the 25 reef fish species assessed, 16 were below 30% spawning potential ratio (SPR), six were above 30% SPR, and three could not be reliably determined owing to low sample sizes. These findings indicate that a majority of snapper-grouper species in Puerto Rico are currently fished at unsustainable levels.