Harper, D.E.

Kellison, G.T.

Aquatic Commons

Spatial Trends in Size and Abundance of Fishery Targeted Reef Fish in the Florida Keys, USA 
 
G. TODD KELLISON and DOUGLAS E. HARPER 
NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, Florida 33149  USA 
 
ABSTRACT 
Coral reef ecosystems worldwide are undergoing change due to interactive effects of anthropogenic impacts and natural 
stressors.  Within these ecosystems, the assessment of spatial trends in coral reef resources is critical to inform and guide ecosystem 
management, conservation, and restoration decisions.  We used a fishery-dependent data source (NOAA headboat data) and two 
fishery-independent data sources (NOAA reef fish surveys and Reef Environmental Education Foundation surveys) to assess spatial 
trends in abundance and length-frequency distributions of multiple fishery targeted species along the FL Keys, USA.  Regardless of 
data source, results from analyses were consistent: species-specific proxies for abundance and length-frequency distributions tended 
to be lowest and smallest, respectively, in the northernmost Fl Keys (Biscayne National Park area) adjacent to the Ft. Lauderdale / 
Miami metropolitan area. Results are discussed in terms of likely underlying mechanisms and implications for management.  
 
KEY WORDS:  Coral reefs, reef fish, spatial trends, fishing impacts, management implications 
 
Tendencia Espacial de Talla y Abundancia en las Pesquerías de Peces Arrecífales  
en los Cayos de la Florida 
 
Los ecosistemas arrecífales mundiales enfrentan procesos de cambio a consecuencia de interacción por efectos antropogénicos 
y alteraciones naturales que se suceden en el medio ambiente.  La evaluación de las tendencias espaciales en estos ecosistemas y en 
especial los recursos del arrecife, resulta crítica para decisiones de restauración, manejo y conservación.  Se utilizaron datos de una 
fuentes directa de pesquerías (datos de embarcaciones de alquiler obtenidos por NOAA) y datos de dos fuentes indirectas (muestreos 
de peces arrecífales de NOAA y de muestreos de la fundación para la educación ambiental del arrecife) para la evaluación de 
tendencias espaciales en la abundancia y la distribución de frecuencia de tallas de los peces que son objeto de pesquería en los cayos 
de la Florida. A pesar de las fuentes diversas de información los resultados de los análisis resultaron consistentes.  La distribución de 
la abundancia y frecuencia de tallas en las especies encontradas en la parte mas norte de los cayos de la Florida resulto ser mas baja 
y pequeña respectivamente (área del Parque Nacional de Biscayne), cercano al área metropolitana de Miami y Fort Lauderdale.  Los 
resultados se discuten en términos del enfoque a implicaciones y estrategias para el manejo.  
 
PALABRAS CLAVES:  Ecosistemas arrecífales, tendencias espaciales, peces, pesquerías, implicaciones para el manejo 
Proceedings of the 60th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute     November 5 - 9, 2007   Punta Cana, Dominican Republic 
INTRODUCTION 
Coral reef ecosystems worldwide are undergoing 
change due to interactive effects of anthropogenic impacts 
and natural stressors.  Within these ecosystems, the 
assessment of spatial trends in coral reef resources is 
critical to inform and guide ecosystem management, 
conservation, and restoration decisions.  Recent publica-
tions support the intuitive notion that reef ecosystems 
adjacent to large human populations will be characterized 
by considerable human impacts.  For example, in studies of 
the Northern Line Islands, Dinsdale et al. (2008) and 
Sandin et al. (2008) found direct correlations between the 
number of people living adjacent to reef ecosystems and 
negative impacts to those systems, manifested in responses 
such as decreased live coral cover, increased virus-like 
particles, and reduced predator biomass.  Mora (2008) 
found similar correlations in the Caribbean, with human 
populations equated with reduced coral cover, increased 
macroalgal cover, and reduced predator and herbivore 
biomass on reefs. 
 
CONCLUSIONS 
Our objective was to determine if there is evidence for 
increased human impacts on Miami / Biscayne National 
Park (BNP) reefs, given their proximity to the large human 
population (> six million people) resident to southeastern 
Florida, USA.  Because fishing reduces abundance of 
targeted species and results in smaller (left-shifted) length-
frequency distributions over time, we hypothesized that 
reef fish in the Miami / BNP area would be characterized 
by smaller proxies for abundance and length-frequency 
distributions than in other areas of the Keys that are more 
distant from southeastern Florida’s large human popula-
tion.   We used a fishery-dependent data source (NOAA 
headboat data) and two fishery-independent data sources 
(NOAA reef fish surveys and Reef Environmental 
Education Foundation surveys) to assess spatial trends in 
abundance and length-frequency distributions of multiple 
fishery-targeted species along the FL Keys.   Regardless of 
data set utilized, results from preliminary analyses were 
consistent: a majority of fishery-targeted species had 
smaller proxies for abundance and/or length-frequency 
distributions in the Miami / BNP area than in any other 
area of the Keys.  Analyses for a suite of species not 
targeted by fisheries provided no evidence of lower 
abundances or smaller size-frequency distributions for 
those species in the Miami / BNP area.  While additional 
analyses are necessary to increase sample sizes, and while 
other mechanisms such as habitat variability may have 
contributed to the observed patterns, these preliminary 
Page 352  60th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute  
 
results support the hypothesis of greatest human impacts in 
the Miami / BNP area. 
 
LITERATURE CITED 
Dinsdale E.A, O. Pantos, S. Smriga, R.A. Edwards, F. Angly, L. Wegley, 
M. Hatay, D. Hall, E. Brown, M. Haynes, L. Krause, E. Sala, S. 
Sandin, R.V. Thurber, B.L.Wilis, F. Azam, N. Knowlton, F. 
Rohwer. 2008. Microbial ecology of four coral atolls in the northern 
Line Islands. PLoS ONE 3(2):e1584 
Mora, C. 2008. A clear human footprint in the coral reefs of the 
Caribbean.  Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 275:767-
773 
Sandin, S.A., J.E. Smith, E.E. DeMartini, E.A. Dinsdale, S.D. Donner, 
A.M. Friedlander, T. Konotchick, M. Malay, J.E. Maragos, D. 
Obura, O. Pantos, G. Paulay, M. Richie, F. Rohwer, R.E. Schroeder, 
S.E. Walsh, J.B.C. Jackson, N. Knowlton, and E. Sala. 2008.   
Baselines and degradation of coral reefs in the northern Line Islands.  
PLoS ONE 3(2):e1548 


Spatial trends in size and abundance of fishery targeted reef fish in the Florida Keys, USA

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Spatial trends in size and abundance of fishery targeted reef fish in the Florida Keys, USA

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