Long-term monitoring of habitats and reef fish found inside and outside the U.S. Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument: a comparative assessment

The primary objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument (VICR), a marine protected area in St John, US Virgin Islands. Surveys of habitat and fishes inside and outside of VICR were conducted in 2003-2008. Areas outside the VICR had significantly more scleractinian corals, greater habitat complexity, and greater species richness and density of reef fishes than areas inside., Areas inside and outside the VICR exhibited significant decreases in percent scleractinian coral coverage over the study period. A contrasting trend of increasing macroalgal cover was also observed. No clear effect of the severe 2005 coral bleaching event was observed suggesting other causal factors. No obvious trends in the fish community were observed across the study period. The significant decline in habitat condition, coupled with the initial incorporation of some of the more degraded reefs into the marine protected area may result in a longer time period necessary to detect positive changes in the St. John coral reef ecosystem and associated reef fish abundance and community structure

The coupling of St. John, US Virgin Islands Marine Protected Areas based on reef fish habitat affinities and movements across management boundaries [Poster]

NOAA's Biogeograpy Branch, the National Park Service (NPS), US Geological Survey, and the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) are using acoustice telemetry to quantify spatial patterns and habitat affinities of reef fishes in the US Virgin Islands (USVI). The objective of the study is to define the movements of reef fishes among habitats within and between the Virgin Islands Coral Reef Nationla Monument (VICRNM), adjacent to Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS), and USVI Territorial waters. In order to better understand species habitat utilization patterns and movement of fishes among management regimes and areas open to fishing around St. John, we deployed an array of hydroacoutstic receivers and acoustically tagged reef fishes. A total of 150 fishes, representing 18 species and 10 families were acoustically tagged along the south shore of St. John from July 2006 to June 2008. Thirty six receivers with a detection range of approximately 300m each were deployed in shallow nearshore bays and across the shelf to depths of approximately 30m. Receivers were located within reefs and adjacent to reefs in seagrass, algal beds, or sand habitats. Example results include the movement of lane snappers and blue striped grunts that demonstrated diel movement from reef habitats during daytime hours to offshore seagrass beds at night. Fish associated with reefs that did not have adjacent seagrass beds made more extensive movements than those fishes associated with reefs that had adjacent seagrass habitats. The array comprised of both nearshore and cross shelf location of receives provides information on fine to broad scale fish movement patterns across habitats and among management units to examine the strength of ecological connectivity between management areas and habitats. For more information go to: http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/ecosystems/ coralreef/acoustic_tracking.htm

Fish movement patterns in Virgin Islands National Park, Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument and adjacent waters

NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)-Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment’s (CCMA) Biogeography Branch, National Park Service (NPS), US Geological Survey, and the University of Hawaii used acoustic telemetry to quantify spatial patterns and habitat affinities of reef fishes around the island of St. John, US Virgin Islands. The objective of the study was to define the movements of reef fishes among habitats within and between the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument (VICRNM), the Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS), and Territorial waters surrounding St. John. In order to better understand species’ habitat utilization patterns among management regimes, we deployed an array of hydroacoustic receivers and acoustically tagged reef fishes. Thirty six receivers were deployed in shallow near-shore bays and across the shelf to depths of approximately 30 m. One hundred eighty four individual fishes were tagged representing 19 species from 10 different families with VEMCO V9-2L-R64K transmitters. The array provides fish movement information at fine (e.g., day-night and 100s meters within a bay) to broad spatial and temporal scales (multiple years and 1000s meters across the shelf). The long term multi-year tracking project provides direct evidence of connectivity across habitat types in the seascape and among management units. An important finding for management was that a number of individuals moved among management units (VICRNM, VINP, Territorial waters) and several snapper moved from near-shore protected areas to offshore shelf-edge spawning aggregations. However, most individuals spent the majority of their time with VIIS and VICRNM, with only a few wide-ranging species moving outside the management units. Five species of snappers (Lutjanidae) accounted for 31% of all individuals tagged, followed by three species of grunts (Haemulidae) accounting for an additional 23% of the total. No other family had more than a single species represented in the study. Bluestripe grunt (Haemulon sciurus) comprised 22% of all individuals tagged, followed by lane snappers (Lutjanus synagris) at 21%, bar jack (Carangoides ruber) at 11%, and saucereye porgy (Calamus calamus) at 10%. The largest individual tagged was a 70 cm TL nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum), followed by a 65 cm mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis), a 47 cm bar jack, and a 41 cm dog snapper (Lutjanus jocu). The smallest individuals tagged were a 19 cm blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus) and a 19.2 cm doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus). Of the 40 bluestriped grunt acoustically tagged, 73% were detected on the receiver array. The average days at large (DAL) was 249 (just over 8 months), with one individual detected for 930 days (over two and a half years). Lane snapper were the next most abundant species tagged (N = 38) with 89% detected on the array. The average days at large (DAL) was 221 with one individual detected for 351 days. Seventy-one percent of the bar jacks (N = 21) were detected on the array with the average DALs at 47 days. All of the mutton snapper (N = 12) were detected on the array with an average DAL of 273 and the longest at 784. The average maximum distance travelled (MDT) was ca. 2 km with large variations among species. Grunts, snappers, jacks, and porgies showed the greatest movements. Among all individuals across species, there was a positive and significant correlation between size of individuals and MDT and between DAL and MDT

Vertical Zoning in Marine Protected Areas: Ecological Considerations for Balancing Pelagic Fishing with Conservation of Benthic Communities

Marine protected areas (MPAs), ideally, manage human uses that threaten ecosystems, or components of ecosystems. During several recent MPA designation processes, concerns have arisen over the scientific justification for no-take MPAs, particularly those that restrict recreational fishing for pelagic species. An important question is: under what conditions might recreational pelagic fishing be compatible with the conservation goals of an MPA that is primarily focused on benthic Communities? In 2005, an expert workshop of fisheries biologists, marine ecologists, MPA managers, and recreational fishermen was convened by NOAAs National MPA Center to evaluate the limited empirical data on benthic-pelagic coupling and to help provide practical advice on this topic. The participants (i) proposed a preliminary conceptual framework for addressing vertical zoning, (ii) developed preliminary guidelines to consider when evaluating whether to allow or restrict pelagic fishing in an MPA, and (iii) identified future research priorities for understanding benthic-pelagic Coupling. A Suite of ecological conditions where recreational pelagic fishing may not be compatible with benthic conservation were identified: (1) high relief habitats, (2) depths shallower than 50-100 m (depending upon the specific location), (3) major topographic and oceanographic features, and (4) spawning areas. Similarly, pelagic fishing is not likely to affect benthic communities adversely in many circumstances. Until further scientific study can shed more light on the issue of how benthic-pelagic linkages affect specific conservation targets, the proposed framework in this manuscript provides practical, easily-applied guidance for using vertical zoning to manage fishing in multiple use MPAs that focus on benthic conservation.Areas Marinas Protegidas (AMP) idealmente, administran el uso humano que amenaza los ecosistemas o sus componentes. Durante el actual proceso de declaracion de AMP, han surgido algunas preocupaciones acerca de la justificacion cientifica para establecer areas de no pesca, particularmente aquellas que restringen la pesca recreativa de especies pelagicas. Una pregunta importante es QQQ ?bajo que condiciones la pesca pelagica recreativa es compatible con los objetivos de conservacion de un AMP que se enfoca principalmente en comunidades bentonicas? En 2005, un taller de expertos en biologia pesquera, ecologfa marina, manejo de AMP y Pescadores recreativos fue convocado por el Centra Nacional de AMP de la NOAA para evaluar los pocos datos empiricos del acoplamiento entre los sistemas pelagico y bentonico, y ofrecer asesoria practica sobre el tema. Los participantes (i) propusieron un marco conceptual preliminar para abordar el tema de la zonacion vertical, (ii) desarrollar directrices preliminares para que cuando se haga una evaluation si se permite o restringe la pesca pelagica dentro de la AMP, y (iii) identificar futuras lineas de investigation para comprender mejor el acoplamiento entre el bentos y el sistema pelagico. Se identifico una serie de condiciones ecologicas en las que la pesca recreativa pelagica puede no ser compatible con la conservacion del bentos: (1) habitat de alto relieve, (2) profundidades menores a 50 m-100 m (dependiendo de la zona), (3) caracteristicas oceanograficas y topograficas sobresalientes, y (4) areas de desove. De igual forma, bajo varias circunstancias, la pesca pelagica puede no afectar las comunidades bentonicas. Hasta que los estudios cientificos brinden mas information acerca de como las relaciones entre el bentos y el ambiente pelagico afectan los objetivos especificos de la conservacion, el contexto propuesto en este trabajo provee una guia practica y de facil aplicacion para utilizar la zonacion vertical en el manejo pesquero en varios aspectos de las AMP que se enfocan en la conservacion del bentos.Keywords: Trophic level, Marine protected areas, Pelagic fisheries, Conservatio

Increase of a Caribbean leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea nesting population linked to long-term nest protection

The leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea is considered to be at serious risk of global extinction, despite ongoing conservation efforts. Intensive long-term monitoring of a leatherback nesting population on Sandy Point (St. Croix, US Virgin Islands) offers a unique opportunity to quantify basic population parameters and evaluate effectiveness of nesting beach conservation practices. We report a significant increase in the number of females nesting annually from ca. 18-30 in the 1980s to 186 in 2001, with a corresponding increase in annual hatchling production from ca. 2000 to over 49,000. We then analyzed resighting data from 1991 to 2001 with an open robust-design capture-mark-recapture model to estimate annual nester survival and adult abundance for this population. The expected annual survival probability was estimated at ca. 0.893 (95% CL 0.87-0.92) and the population was estimated to be increasing ca. 13% pa since the early 1990s. Taken together with DNA fingerprinting that identify mother-daughter relations, our findings suggest that the increase in the size of the nesting population since 1991 was probably due to an aggressive program of beach protection and egg relocation initiated more than 20 years ago. Beach protection and egg relocation provide a simple and effective conservation strategy for this Northern Caribbean nesting population as long as adult survival at sea remains relatively high. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Vertical Zoning in Marine Protected Areas: Ecological Considerations for Balancing Pelagic Fishing with Conservation of Benthic Communities

Marine protected areas (MPAs), ideally, manage human uses that threaten ecosystems, or components of ecosystems. During several recent MPA designation processes, concerns have arisen over the scientific justification for no-take MPAs, particularly those that restrict recreational fishing for pelagic species. An important question is: under what conditions might recreational pelagic fishing be compatible with the conservation goals of an MPA that is primarily focused on benthic communities? In 2005, an expert workshop of fisheries biologists, marine ecologists, MPA managers, and recreational fishermen was convened by NOAA\u27s National MPA Center to evaluate the limited empirical data on benthic-pelagic coupling and to help provide practical advice on this topic. The participants (i) proposed a preliminary conceptual framework for addressing vertical zoning, (ii) developed preliminary guidelines to consider when evaluating whether to allow or restrict pelagic fishing in an MPA, and (iii) identified future research priorities for understanding benthic-pelagic coupling. A suite of ecological conditions where recreational pelagic fishing may not be compatible with benthic conservation were identified: (1) high relief habitats, (2) depths shallower than 50–100 m (depending upon the specific location), (3) major topographic and oceanographic features, and (4) spawning areas. Similarly, pelagic fishing is not likely to affect benthic communities adversely in many circumstances. Until further scientific study can shed more light on the issue of how benthic-pelagic linkages affect specific conservation targets, the proposed framework in this manuscript provides practical, easily-applied guidance for using vertical zoning to manage fishing in multiple use MPAs that focus on benthic conservation