Influence of ocean conditions on the timing of early life history events for blue rockfish (Sebastes mystinus) off California

Settled juvenile blue rockfish (Sebastes mystinus) were collected from two kelp beds approximately 335 km apart off Mendocino in northern California and Monterey in central California. A total of 112 rockfish were collected from both sites over 5 years (1993, 1994, 2001, 2002, and 2003). Total age, settlement date, age at settlement, and birth date were determined from otolith microstructure. Fish off Mendocino settled mostly in June and fish off Monterey settled mostly in May (average difference in settlement=23 days). Although the difference in the timing of settlement followed this same pattern for both areas over the five years, settlement occurred later in 2002 and 2003 than in the prior years of sampling. The difference in the timing of settlement was due primarily to differences in birth dates for the two areas. The time of settlement was positively related to upwelling and negatively related to sea level anomaly for most of the months before settlement. Knowledge of the timing of settlement has implications for design and placement of marine protected areas because protection of nursery grounds is frequently a major objective of these protected areas. The timing of settlement is also an important consideration in the planning of surveys of early recruits because mistimed surveys (caused by latitudinal differences in the timing of settlement) could produce biased estimates.

The vulnerability of reproductively active squaretail coralgrouper (Plectropomus areolatus) to fishing

Squaretail coralgrouper (Plectropomus areolatus) were captured and tagged at a fish spawning aggregation (FSA) site with conventional and acoustic tags to assess their vulnerability to fishing and spatial dynamics during reproductive periods. Males outnumbered females in catch and, on average, were larger than females. Findings revealed a high vulnerability to fishing, particularly during reproductive periods, and most fish were recaptured within the 5-month spawning season and within 10−12 km of the aggregation site. Individual and sex-specific variability in movement to, and residency times at, the FSA site indicates that individual monthly spawning aggregations represent subsets of the total reproductive population. Some individuals appeared to move along a common migratory corridor to reach the FSA site. Sex-specific behavioral differences, particularly longer residency times, appear to increase the vulnerability of reproductively active males to fishing, particularly within a FSA, which could reduce reproductive output. Both fishery-dependent and fishery-independent data indicate that only males were present within the first month of aggregation. The combined results indicate that reproductively active P. areolatus are highly vulnerable to fishing and that FSAs and migratory corridors of reproductively active fish should be incorporated into marine protected areas. The capture of P. areolatus during reproductive periods should be restricted as part of a comprehensive management strateg

Meso-scale transboundary units for the management of coral reefs in the South China Sea area

Local communities and local government units are recognized as the primary stakeholders and participants in the management of coral reef resources and the primary beneficiaries of small-scale fishing activities in the nearshore areas of the coastal zone. The issues relating to the management of the coastal zone are multi-faceted and some issues are largely intertwined with national policy and development goals. Thus, national governments have jurisdiction over these nearshore coastal resources to harmonize policies, monitor resource use and provide incentives for sustainable use. However, the natural boundaries of these reef resources, the processes that support reef ecosystems, and the local or national affiliation of the people who benefit from them may transcend the boundaries of the local and national management units. Therefore, efforts to arrest the decline in fish catch and loss of biodiversity for reefs require management interventions and assessment activities to be carried out at varying scales. In Southeast Asia, some aspects of reef and reef resources management — particularly in deciding the allocation of catch among competing fisheries, development of sustainable harvest strategies, use of broodstock for restocking or stock enhancement programs, protection of nursery and spawning areas, designation of systems of marine protected areas, and the identification of representative, adequate and comprehensive areas for biodiversity conservation in the region — may require the definition of larger management units. At the regional level, multi-country initiatives will need to define units for the transboundary management of resources. The use of large marine ecosystems (LMEs) to identify and manage fisheries resources may be a starting point; however, given the relatively sedentary nature of coral reef-dwelling and reef-associated organisms compared with other pelagic and demersal species, meso-scale transboundary units within the LMEs have to be defined. This paper provides suggestions for transboundary management units for coral reef and reef-associated resources in Southeast Asia based on information from genetic structures of model organisms in the region. In addition, specific reef areas are identified, which may be important beyond their national boundaries, as potential sources of recruits.

Participatory management of a reservoir fishery in northeastern Brazil

Consensus, compromise and cooperation. That was how more than 100 fishers reached agreement on how they would manage their own fishery in a small reservoir in northeastern Brazil. The long hard road that led to the agreement, the final congress in which fishers made minor history and the lessons that others may draw from the experience are described in this article. The fishers agreed on a nonfishing period of protected areas and a seasonal ban on certain nets in the face of a government department that told them the measures were non-building and essentially illegal.

Corals, fishermen and tourists

Two major anthropogenic activities that disturb coral reefs are fishing and tourism, even though coral reefs are important for both fishing and tourism. Already more than 60 per cent of all reefs worldwide are endangered. The use of explosives and poison by small-scale fishers, to supply the market for live fish for aquariums and for human consumption, cause irreversible damages to reefs. Similarly, rapid and unmanaged coastal development for marine tourism negatively affects coral reefs in many ways. Though marine parks and marine protected areas are being promoted all over the world, developing countries need assistance in establishing and assessing such reserves and for taking appropriate actions for rehabilitation of reefs. These can be accomplished through partnership projects.

Getting it right: incorporating social aspects into MPA planning and implementation

This brochure summarizes a series of case studies done in nine countries—Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Senegal, South Africa, Spain,Tanzania and Thailand—on the role of communities in the planning and implementation of marine protected areas (MPAs). The studies demonstrate that communities can be powerful allies in efforts for conservation and management of coastal and marine resources. They also underline the need for systematic attention, capacity building, funding and other resources for effective implementation of Programme Element 2 on governance, participation, equity, and benefit sharing of the Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Reserved parking : marine reserves and small-scale fishing communities: a collection of articles from SAMUDRA report

As the earth’s resources continue to face increasing pressure from a variety of human and natural causes, protection of the environment and biodiversity is a matter of contemporary concern, The conservation of coastal and marine resources, in particular, has become a priority for countries around the world. In this context, marine protected areas (MPAs) are being widely promoted as one of the most effective tools for the conservation of coastal and marine resources. Most MPAs are located in coastal areas of great biodiversity, and hence their development has direct impacts on the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities, especially small-scale and traditional fishing communities. Typically, they are the ones who have to bear the costs of conservation practices–lost livelihood options, expulsion from traditional fishing grounds and living spaces, and violation of human/community rights, to name a few. The articles in this dossier, drawn chronologically from the pages of Samudra Report, the triannual publication of ICSF, draw attention to these issues. They show that conservation and livelihoods are closely intertwined, and that top-down, non-participatory models of conservation can be counter-productive. Despite being poor and powerless, fishing and coastal communities can be powerful allies in conservation efforts, given their longstanding dependence on natural resources and their traditional ecological knowledge systems. As the examples in this dossier reveal, it is possible for fishing communities to protect and conserve the environment, while continuing with sustainable fishing operations. Clearly, only an integrated approach to fisheries management and conservation will prove successful. This dossier will be useful for policymakers, social scientists, non-governmental organizations and others interested in fisheries, conservation, communities and livelihoods.

PICES Press, Vol. 21, No. 2, Summer 2013

•The 2013 Inter-sessional Science Board Meeting: A Note from the Science Board Chairman (pp. 1-4) •ICES/PICES Workshop on Global Assessment of the Implications of Climate Change on the Spatial Distribution of Fish and Fisheries (pp. 5-8) •PICES participates in a Convention on Biological Diversity Regional Workshop (pp. 9-11) •Social and Economic Indicators for Status and Change within North Pacific Ecosystems (pp. 12-13) •The Fourth International Jellyfish Bloom Symposium (pp. 14-15) •Workshop on Radionuclide Science and Environmental Quality in the North Pacific (pp. 16-17) •PICES-MAFF Project on Marine Ecosystem Health and Human Well-Being: Indonesia Workshop (pp. 18-19) •Socioeconomic Indicators for United States Fisheries and Fishing Communities (pp. 20-23) •Harmful Algal Blooms in a Changing World (pp. 24-25, 27) •Enhancing Scientific Cooperation between PICES and NPAFC (pp. 26-27) •Workshop on Marine Biodiversity Conservation and Marine Protected Areas in the Northwest Pacific (pp. 28-29) •The State of the Western North Pacific in the Second Half of 2012 (pp. 30-31) •Stuck in Neutral in the Northeast Pacific Ocean (pp. 32-33) •The Bering Sea: Current Status and Recent Trends (pp. 34-36) •For your Bookshelf (p. 37) •Howard Freeland takes home Canadian awards (p. 38)

A Positive trajectory for corals at Little Cayman Island

Coral reefs are damaged by natural disturbances and local and global anthropogenic stresses. As stresses intensify, so do debates about whether reefs will recover after significant damage. True headway in this debate requires documented temporal trajectories for coral assemblages subjected to various combinations of stresses; therefore, we report relevant changes in coral assemblages at Little Cayman Island. Between 1999 and 2012, spatiotemporal patterns in cover, densities of juveniles and size structure of assemblages were documented inside and outside marine protected areas using transects, quadrats and measurements of maximum diameters. Over five years, bleaching and disease caused live cover to decrease from 26% to 14%, with full recovery seven years later. Juvenile densities varied, reaching a maximum in 2010. Both patterns were consistent within and outside protected areas. In addition, dominant coral species persisted within and outside protected areas although their size frequency distributions varied temporally and spatially. The health of the coral assemblage and the similarity of responses across levels of protection suggested that negligible anthropogenic disturbance at the local scale was a key factor underlying the observed resilience.

Fish consumption by harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) in the San Juan Islands, Washington

The harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) is a large-bodied and abundant predator in the Salish Sea ecosystem, and its population has recovered since the 1970s after passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the cessation of bounties. Little is known about how this large predator population may affect the recovery of fish stocks in the Salish Sea, where candidate marine protected areas are being proposed. We used a bioenergetics model to calculate baseline consumption rates in the San Juan Islands, Washington. Salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) and herring (Clupeidae) were the 2 most energetically important prey groups for biomass consumed by harbor seals. Estimated consumption of salmonids was 783 (±380 standard deviation [SD]) metric tons (t) in the breeding season and 675 (±388 SD t in the nonbreeding season. Estimated consumption of herring was 646 (±303 SD) t in the breeding season and 2151 (±706 SD) t in the nonbreeding season. Rockfish, a depressed fish stock currently in need of population recovery, composed one of the minor prey groups consumed by harbor seals (84 [±26 SD] t in the nonbreeding season). The variables of seal body mass and proportion of prey in seal diet explained >80% of the total variation in model outputs. Prey groups, such as rockfish, that are targeted for recovery may still be affected by even low levels of predation. This study highlights the importance of salmonids and herring for the seal population and provides a framework for refining consumption estimates and their confidence intervals with future data.

An ecological characterization of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Region: oceanographic, biogeographic, and contaminants assessment

The mission of NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) is to serve as the trustee for a system of marine protected areas, to conserve, protect, and enhance their biodiversity, ecological integrity, and cultural legacy while facilitating compatible uses. Since 1972, thirteen National Marine Sanctuaries, representing a wide variety of ocean environments, have been established, each with management goals tuned to their unique diversity. Extending from Cape Ann to Cape Cod across the mouth of Massachusetts Bay, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (NMS) encompasses 2,181 square kilometers of highly productive, diverse, and culturally unique Federal waters. As a result of its varied seafloor topography, oceanographic conditions, and high primary productivity, Stellwagen Bank NMS is utilized by diverse assemblages of seabirds, marine mammals, invertebrates, and fish species, as well as containing a number of maritime heritage resources. Furthermore, it is a region of cultural significance, highlighted by the recent discovery of several historic shipwrecks. Officially designated in 1992, Stellwagen Bank became the Nation’s twelfth National Marine Sanctuary in order to protect these and other unique biological, geological, oceanographic, and cultural features of the region. The Stellwagen Bank NMS is in the midst of its first management plan review since designation. The management plan review process, required by law, is designed to evaluate, enhance, and guide the development of future research efforts, education and outreach, and the management approaches used by Sanctuaries. Given the ecological and physical complexity of Stellwagen Bank NMS, burgeoning anthropogenic impacts to the region, and competing human and biological uses, the review process was challenged to assimilate and analyze the wealth of existing scientific knowledge in a framework which could enhance management decision-making. Unquestionably, the Gulf of Maine, Massachusetts Bay, and Stellwagen Bank-proper are extremely well studied systems, and in many regards, the scientific information available greatly exceeds that which is available for other Sanctuaries. However, the propensity of scientific information reinforces the need to utilize a comprehensive analytical approach to synthesize and explore linkages between disparate information on physical, biological, and chemical processes, while identifying topics needing further study. Given this requirement, a partnership was established between NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) so as to leverage existing NOAA technical expertise to assist the Sanctuary in developing additional ecological assessment products which would benefit the management plan review process.

A marine biogeographic assessment of the northwestern Hawaiian Islands

The mission of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) is to serve as the trustee for a system of marine protected areas, to conserve, protect and enhance biodiversity. To assist in accomplishing this mission, the ONMS has developed a partnership with NOAA’s Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment’s Biogeography Branch (CCMA-BB) to conduct biogeographic assessments of marine resources within and adjacent to the marine waters of NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries (Kendall and Monaco, 2003). Biogeography is the study of spatial and temporal distributions of organisms, their associated habitats, and the historical and biological factors that influence species’ distributions. Biogeography provides a framework to integrate species distributions and life history data with information on the habitats of a region to characterize and assess living marine resources within a sanctuary. The biogeographic data are integrated in a Geographical Information System (GIS) to enable visualization of species’ spatial and temporal patterns, and to predict changes in abundance that may result from a variety of natural and anthropogenic perturbations or management strategies (Monaco et al., 2005; Battista and Monaco, 2004). Defining biogeographic patterns of living marine resources found throughout the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) was identified as a priority activity at a May 2003 workshop designed to outline scientifi c and management information needs for the NWHI (Alexander et al., 2004). NOAA’s Biogeography Branch and the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM) under the direction of the ONMS designed and implemented this biogeographic assessment to directly support the research and management needs of the PMNM by providing a suite of spatially-articulated products in map and tabular formats. The major fi ndings of the biogeographic assessment are organized by chapter and listed below.

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.

A biogeographic assessment of the Samoan Archipelago

This report examines the marine biogeography of the Samoan Archipelago (~14º S latitude along the international date-line) with a focus on regional ocean climate, connectivity among islands due to larval transport, distributions of reef fish and coral communities, and the extent of existing marine protected areas. Management decisions and prior assessments in the archipelago have typically been split along the international political boundary between the islands of Samoa and those of American Samoa despite their close proximity and shared resources. A key goal in this assessment was to compile data from both jurisdictions and to conduct the characterization across the entire archipelago. The report builds upon earlier assessments by re-analyzing and interpreting many pre-existing datasets, adding more recent biogeographic data sources, and by combining earlier findings into a multidisciplinary summary of marine biogeography. The assessment is divided into 5 chapters and supporting appendices. Each chapter was written and reviewed in collaboration with subject matter specialists and local experts. In Chapter 1, a short introduction to the overall scope and approach of the report is provided. In Chapter 2, regional ocean climate is characterized using remote sensing datasets and discussed in the context of local observations. In Chapter 3, regional ocean currents and transport of coral and fish larvae are investigated among the islands of the archipelago and surrounding island nations. In Chapter 4, distinct reef fish and coral communities across the archipelago are quantified on the basis of overall biodiversity, abundance, and community structure. In Chapter 5, the existing network of MPAs in American Samoa is evaluated based on the habitats, reef fish, and coral communities that are encompassed. Appendices provide analytical details omitted from some chapters for brevity as well as supplemental datasets needed as inputs for the main chapters in the assessment. Appendices include an inventory of regional seamounts, a description of shore to shelf edge benthic maps produced for Tutuila, analytical details of reef fish and coral datasets, and supplemental information on the many marine protected areas in American Samoa.

Integrating remote sensing products and GIS tools to support marine spatial management in West Hawai'i

Marine protected areas (MPAs) represent a form of spatial management, and geospatial information on living marine resources and associated habitat is extremely important to support best management practices in a spatially discrete MPA. Benthic habitat maps provide georeferenced information on the geomorphic structure and biological cover types in the marine environment. This information supports an enhanced understanding of ecosystem function and species habitat utilization patterns. Benthic habitat maps are most useful for marine management and spatial planning purposes when they are created at a scale that is relevant to management actions. We sought to improve the resolution of existing benthic habitat maps created during a regional mapping effort in Hawai`i. Our results complemented these existing regional maps and provided more detailed, finer-scale habitat maps for a network of MPAs in West Hawai`i. The map products created during this study allow local planners and managers to extract information at a spatial scale relevant to the discrete management units, and appropriate for local marine management efforts on the Kona Coast. The resultant benthic habitat maps were integrated in a geographic information system (GIS) that also included aerial imagery, underwater video, MPA regulations, summarized ecological data and other relevant and spatially explicit information. The integration of the benthic habitat maps with additional “value added” geospatial information into a dynamic GIS provide a decision support tool with pertinent marine resource information available in one central location and support the application of a spatial approach to the management of marine resources. Further, this work can serve as a case study to demonstrate the integration of remote sensing products and GIS tools at a fine spatial scale relevant to local-level marine spatial planning and management efforts.