1. Restricted grouper reproductive migrations support community-based management
- Author
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Jan Robinson, Tapas Potuku, Glenn R. Almany, Michael L. Berumen, Richard J. Hamilton, Joshua E. Cinner, Peter A. Waldie, Kevin L. Rhodes, Mark A. Priest, Tane H. Sinclair-Taylor, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University (JCU)-School of Marine and Tropical Biology, Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL (LabEX CORAIL), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université des Antilles et de la Guyane (UAG)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Université de la Polynésie Française (UPF)-Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (UNC)-Institut d'écologie et environnement-Université des Antilles (UA), Centre de recherches insulaires et observatoire de l'environnement (CRIOBE), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Red Sea Research Centre (RSRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Indo-Pacific Division, The Nature Conservancy, Kavieng Field Office, Marine Spatial Ecology Laboratory [Brisbane] (MSEL), University of Queensland [Brisbane], MarAlliance, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université des Antilles et de la Guyane (UAG)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), and Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE)
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,marine reserve ,Population ,epinephelidae ,Biology ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,fish spawning aggregation ,14. Life underwater ,education ,lcsh:Science ,acoustic telemetry ,[SDV.EE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology, environment ,geography ,education.field_of_study ,Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ,Multidisciplinary ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Ecology ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Marine reserve ,Biology (Whole Organism) ,Coral reef ,Community-based management ,biology.organism_classification ,Spawn (biology) ,Fishery ,movement ecology ,Marine protected area ,lcsh:Q ,Catchment area ,Research Article ,marine protected areas - Abstract
Conservation commonly requires trade-offs between social and ecological goals. For tropical small-scale fisheries, spatial scales of socially appropriate management are generally small—the median no-take locally managed marine area (LMMA) area throughout the Pacific is less than 1 km 2 . This is of particular concern for large coral reef fishes, such as many species of grouper, which migrate to aggregations to spawn. Current data suggest that the catchment areas (i.e. total area from which individuals are drawn) of such aggregations are at spatial scales that preclude effective community-based management with no-take LMMAs. We used acoustic telemetry and tag-returns to examine reproductive migrations and catchment areas of the grouper Epinephelus fuscoguttatus at a spawning aggregation in Papua New Guinea. Protection of the resultant catchment area of approximately 16 km 2 using a no-take LMMA is socially untenable here and throughout much of the Pacific region. However, we found that spawning migrations were skewed towards shorter distances. Consequently, expanding the current 0.2 km 2 no-take LMMA to 1–2 km 2 would protect approximately 30–50% of the spawning population throughout the non-spawning season. Contrasting with current knowledge, our results demonstrate that species with moderate reproductive migrations can be managed at scales congruous with spatially restricted management tools.
- Published
- 2016
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