Evaluating the efficacy of small‐scale marine protected areas for preserving reef health: A case study applying emerging monitoring technology

1. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are widely used as management tools to conserve species and ecosystems at risk from human impact. Coastal managers often focus MPA designation on biogenic reef environments due to their value and sensitivity to damage. However, difficulties in enforcement and a lack of capacity to adequately monitor MPAs often make it hard for managers to assess the effectiveness of MPAs, particularly in under‐resourced, low‐income coastal countries.
2. Reef community data were collected at three long‐term managed reserves within the Western Visayas region of the central Philippines in order to assess the state of reef community structure inside and outside of these small‐scale locally managed MPAs. In addition, 3D structural data were captured using recently developed 'Structure from Motion' photogrammetry techniques, demonstrating how multiple quantitative metrics of physical structural complexity and health can be recorded in such analyses.
3. These community‐run MPAs were shown to be effective even when small (10–20 ha). Mean fish biomass density was five times greater within present‐day protected sites, alongside significantly increased levels of fish diversity, richness, and size. No significant structural differences were observed inside and outside of MPAs; however, average reef rugosity, height, and roughness were significantly higher in unfished reefs compared to blast‐fished reefs. Reef substrate complexity, coral composition, and level of management, were also shown to structure fish community assemblages, with the link between reef structure and fish richness/abundance disrupted outside of MPAs.
4. The Structure from Motion technique allows a greater range of quantitative morphometrics to be assessed than traditional methods and at relatively low cost. The technique is rapid, non‐destructive and can be archived, increasing the value of data for managers wishing to quantify reef health and efficiently monitor benthic changes through time. We discuss both the limitations and benefits of this technology's future use.

     

Beyond the reef: The widespread use of non‐reef habitats by coral reef fishes

Marine ecology seeks to understand the factors that shape biological communities. Progress towards this goal has been hampered by habitat‐centric approaches that ignore the influence of the wider seascape. Coral reef fishes may use non‐reef habitats (e.g. mangrove and seagrass) extensively, yet most studies have focused on within‐reef attributes or connectivity between reefs to explain trends in their distribution and abundance. We systematically review the evidence for multihabitat use by coral reef fishes across life stages, feeding guilds and conservation status. At least 670 species of “coral reef fish” have been observed in non‐reef habitats, with almost half (293 species) being recorded in two or more non‐reef habitats. Of the 170 fish species for which both adult and juvenile data were available, almost 76% were recorded in non‐reef habitats in both life stages. Importantly, over half of the coral reef fish species recorded in non‐reef habitats (397 spp.) were potential fisheries targets. The use of non‐reef habitats by “coral reef” fishes appears to be widespread, suggesting in turn that attempts to manage anthropogenic impacts on fisheries and coral reefs may need to consider broader scales and different forms of connectivity than traditional approaches recommend. Faced with the deteriorating condition of many coastal habitats, there is a pressing need to better understand how the wider seascape can influence reef fish populations, community dynamics, food‐webs and other key ecological processes on reefs.     

Taxonomic versus functional diversity metrics: how do fish communities respond to anthropogenic stressors in reservoirs?

Biological indicators are frequently used to assess the effects of anthropogenic stressors on freshwater ecosystems. The structure of fish communities and their response to stressors have been commonly described by taxonomic richness, diversity and evenness. More recently, functional structure of communities has also been suggested to be a reliable indicator of disturbance. This article aimed at testing whether taxonomic and functional diversity metrics can provide comparable or complementary information on the response of fish communities to eutrophication and abundance of non‐native species in reservoirs. Comparison of the responses of taxonomic and functional diversities to biogeography, habitat and stressors was made in 112 French reservoirs. Widely observed effects of biogeographic and habitat variables on taxonomic and functional diversities were identified. Taxonomic and functional richness metrics notably increased with lake area and temperature respectively. Taxonomic diversity metrics did not respond to any stressor, while all functional diversity metrics were found to be impacted by non‐native species. Eutrophication was further found to decrease the impact of non‐native species on two functional diversity metrics: evenness and divergence. Our study therefore reveals that functional metrics are more sensitive than taxonomic metrics to anthropogenic stressors in the studied reservoirs. Still, the multiple linear regressions tested had overall low explanatory power. Further refinements will thus be needed to use this type of metrics in an impact assessment scheme.     

Influence of forest cover and mesohabitat types on functional and taxonomic diversity of fish communities in Neotropical lowland streams

Abstract – In this study, we investigated how taxonomic and functional diversity of fish communities is influenced by forest cover and mesohabitat types in Neotropical lowland streams. We sampled fish fauna of 126 five‐metre‐long mesohabitats using an electrofishing unit in forested (n = 3) and deforested (n = 3) streams in the upper Paraná River basin, south‐eastern Brazil. According to velocity and depth, three mesohabitat types have been considered: riffles (shallow and fast‐flowing habitat), pools (deep and slow‐flowing habitat) and runs (intermediate depth and velocity). Seven functional traits and 27 trait categories related to ecological, behavioural and life‐history aspects of fish were considered. Our results indicate that forest cover and mesohabitat type influence fish communities in different ways. Whereas deforestation affects communities primarily through changes in diversity (functional and taxonomic), mesohabitat types determine changes in the functional composition. The increased diversity in deforested mesohabitats is driven by a decrease in species turnover among habitat patches within streams. This can be attributed to new feeding opportunities and microhabitat availabilities in deforested streams so favours the occurrence of species having a particular set of traits, indicating a strong habitat–trait relationship.     

Life‐history differences of juvenile Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha across rearing locations in the Shasta River,California

Salmon from different locations in a watershed can have different life histories. It is often unclear to what extent this variation is a response to the current environmental conditions an individual experiences as opposed to local‐scale genetic adaptation or the environment experienced early in development. We used a mark–recapture transplant experiment in the Shasta River, CA, to test whether life‐history traits of juvenile Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha varied among locations, and whether individuals could adopt a new life history upon encountering new habitat type. The Shasta River, a Klamath River tributary, has two Chinook salmon spawning and juvenile rearing areas, a lower basin canyon (river km 0–12) and upper basin spring complex (river km 40–56), characterised by dramatically different in‐stream habitats. In 2012 and 2013, we created three experimental groups: (i) fish caught, tagged and released in the upper basin; (ii) fish caught at the river mouth (confluence with the Klamath River, river km 0), tagged and released in the upper basin; and (iii) fish caught at the river mouth, tagged and released in the lower basin. Fish released in the upper basin outmigrated later and at a larger size than those released in the lower basin. The traits of fish transplanted to the upper basin were similar to fish originating in the upper basin. Chinook salmon juvenile life‐history traits reflected habitat conditions fish experienced rather than those where they originated, indicating that habitat modification or transportation to new habitats can rapidly alter the life‐history composition of populations.     

Living in an amphidromous world: Perspectives on the management of fish passage from an island nation

1. Amphidromy is a form of migratory life history typified by the reproduction of fish in freshwater environments, the early downstream dispersal of post‐hatch larvae to marine environments, and the return of small‐bodied young juveniles to freshwater environments for growth to adulthood. Island freshwater fish communities are frequently dominated by fish species with amphidromous life histories.
2. Amphidromous life cycles leave fish communities highly susceptible to habitat modification and disruptions to connectivity across marine and freshwater environments. This means that managing waterway connectivity is fundamental to their conservation; however, the unique and often geographically restricted amphidromous communities that characterize many small island nations have received little consideration in the development of strategies for the management of fish passage.
3. The ecology and locomotory capabilities of amphidromous species are often poorly studied, partly because their small size at migratory life stages renders current state‐of‐the‐art in situ biotelemetry methods unsuitable. The small size of fish also means that seemingly small obstructions can severely impede migrations.
4. The steps necessary to advance the management of fish passage for island fish communities are: curating and maintaining barrier inventories; evaluating barrier permeability; developing effective barrier mitigation options; and prioritizing restoration and conservation efforts.
5. New methods for understanding the ecology and locomotory capabilities and behaviour of amphidromous fishes are required to advance the management of fish passage for island fish communities. Fish passage solutions that imitate natural streams, such as those promoted in new guidelines in New Zealand, may be the most effective way of improving waterway connectivity; however, integrated approaches to freshwater fish conservation that account for meta‐population dynamics, in combination with the management of fish passage, are necessary to optimize conservation outcomes for amphidromous species.

     

Reliance on lakes by salmon,trout and charr (Oncorhynchus,Salmo and Salvelinus): An evaluation of spawning habitats,rearing strategies and trophic polymorphisms

Salmonid fishes may reside within or migrate between stream and lake habitats, or undergo anadromous migrations between freshwater and the ocean. While the degree of anadromy of salmonids has been thoroughly compared, no analogous review has examined the degree of lake use. To assess the extent of reliance on lake habitat in this family, we considered 16 species of salmon, trout and charr from the genera Oncorhynchus, Salmo and Salvelinus, comparing their (a) use of lakes as spawning habitat, (b) rearing strategies in lakes, and (c) occurrence and diversity of lacustrine trophic polymorphism. In identifying the primary life‐history patterns of each species and exploring the lesser‐known lacustrine behaviours, we found that the extent of reliance on lakes exhibits a negative association with the degree of anadromy. Oncorhynchus rely least on lakes, Salmo to an intermediate level and Salvelinus the most, opposite of the general prevalence of anadromy among these genera. Lakes are critical to adfluvial and lake‐resident salmonids, but they also support anadromous and fluvial life histories by providing spawning, rearing, overwintering and/or summer refuge habitat. Adfluviality, although a non‐anadromous life history, consists of similar migration‐related traits and behaviours as anadromy, including the parr–smolt transformation, sex‐biased patterns of migration and residency, and the presence of precocious males. Lakes support life‐history variants, reproductive ecotypes and trophic morphs unique to lacustrine habitat. Therefore, conservation of salmonids is dependent on maintaining the diversity and quality of their habitats, including lakes.     

Multicriteria estimate of coral reef fishery sustainability

A holistic basis for achieving ecosystem‐based management is needed to counter the continuing degradation of coral reefs. The high variation in recovery rates of fish, corresponding to fisheries yields, and the ecological complexity of coral reefs have challenged efforts to estimate fisheries sustainability. Yet, estimating stable yields can be determined when biomass, recovery, changes in per area yields and ecological change are evaluated together. Long‐term rates of change in yields and fishable biomass‐yield ratios have been the key missing variables for most coral reef assessments. Calibrating a fishery yield model using independently collected fishable biomass and recovery data produced large confidence intervals driven by high variability in biomass recovery rates that precluded accurate or universal yields for coral reefs. To test the model's predictions, I present changes in Kenyan reef fisheries for >20 years. Here, exceeding yields above 6 tonnes km^?2 year^?1 when fishable biomass was ~20 tonnes/km² (~20% of unfished biomass) resulted in a >2.4% annual decline. Therefore, rates of decline fit the mean settings well and model predictions may therefore be used as a benchmark in reefs with mean recovery rates (i.e. r = 0.20–0.25). The mean model settings indicate a maximum sustained yield (MSY) of ~6 tonnes km^?2 year^?1 when fishable biomass was ~50 tonnes/km². Variable reported recovery rates indicate that high sustainable yields will depend greatly on maintaining these rates, which can be reduced if productivity declines and management of stocks and functional diversity are ineffective. A number of ecological state‐yield trade‐off occurs as abrupt ecological changes prior to biomass levels that produce MSY.     

Beaver dams shift desert fish assemblages toward dominance by non‐native species (Verde River,Arizona, USA)

The reintroduction of beaver (Castor canadensis) into arid and semi‐arid rivers is receiving increasing management and conservation attention in recent years, yet very little is known about native versus non‐native fish occupancy in beaver pond habitats. Streams of the American Southwest support a highly endemic, highly endangered native fish fauna and abundant non‐native fishes, and here we investigated the hypothesis that beaver ponds in this region may lead to fish assemblages dominated by non‐native species that favour slower‐water habitat. We sampled fish assemblages within beaver ponds and within unimpounded lotic stream reaches in the mainstem and in tributaries of the free‐flowing upper Verde River, Arizona, USA. Non‐native fishes consistently outnumbered native species, and this dominance was greater in pond than in lotic assemblages. Few native species were recorded within ponds. Multivariate analysis indicated that fish assemblages in beaver ponds were distinct from those in lotic reaches, in both mainstem and tributary locations. Individual species driving this distinction included abundant non‐native green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) and western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) in pond sites, and native desert sucker (Catostomus clarkii) in lotic sites. Overall, this study provides the first evidence that, relative to unimpounded lotic habitat, beaver ponds in arid and semi‐arid rivers support abundant non‐native fishes; these ponds could thus serve as important non‐native source areas and negatively impact co‐occurring native fish populations.     

The importance of ecosystem‐based management for conserving aquatic migratory pathways on tropical high islands: a case study from Fiji

• 1. Tropical, high islands of the Pacific have developed unique freshwater fish faunas that are currently threatened by a range of human activities. This paper documents distinct differences in life history strategies from fish communities found in streams of Fiji compared with fish assemblages in freshwater systems on larger continental land masses. While river systems of northern Australia and Papua New Guinea have a high proportion of freshwater residents, the Fiji fauna is dominated by amphidromous gobiids that migrate across a broad range of habitats throughout their life cycle.
• 2. The number of amphidromous fish species and the number of all fish species in mid‐reaches of Fiji rivers are significantly affected by loss of catchment forest cover and introductions of tilapia (Oreochromis spp.). On average, stream networks with established Oreochromis spp. populations have 11 fewer species of native fish than do intact systems. The fish that disappear are mostly eleotrid and gobiid taxa, which have important dietary and economic value.
• 3. Based on the strong links between catchment land clearing, non‐native species introductions and loss of migratory pathways for freshwater fish, spatial information was compiled on a national scale to identify priority areas for conservation in Fiji with intact connectivity between forests, hydrologic networks and coral reefs. Areas with high connectivity included remote, largely undeveloped regions of Vanua Levu (Kubulau, Wainunu, Dama, Udu Point, Natewa, Qelewara) and Taveuni, as well as smaller mapping units (Naikorokoro, Sawakasa) of Viti Levu with low density of roads and high relative amounts of mangroves and reefs.
• 4. These priority areas for conservation can only be effectively protected and managed through cross‐sectoral collaboration and ecosystem‐based approaches. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

A role for partially protected areas on coral reefs: maintaining fish diversity?

• 1. Completely banning fishing from coral reefs is now accepted to have significant benefits for marine biodiversity and in many cases, fisheries. However, the benefits of regulating fishing on coral reefs, by restricting the methods used, or the total amount of fishing, are less well understood, even though such regulations are much more likely to be supported by fishermen.
• 2. This study assesses whether banning illegal, destructive fishing methods and reducing the numbers of fishermen visiting from outside an area benefits a coral reef fishery, despite unregulated fishing by local fishermen using non‐destructive methods.
• 3. The abundance, biomass, mean length, and species richness of nine commercially important fish families are compared across ten independent patch reefs inside and outside the 470 km² Menai Bay Conservation Area in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
• 4. Even after taking into account the effect of differences in habitat and the distance between reefs, 61% (±19.7%) more fish species were found in regulated than unregulated reefs. Fish abundance, biomass, and length were not affected, suggesting that banning destructive fishing may improve biodiversity, but that further regulations may be required to improve fish stocks.Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

Juvenile Chinook salmon,Oncorhynchus tshawytscha,growth and diet in riverine habitat engineered to improve conditions for spawning

Abstract Many habitat enhancement techniques aimed at restoring salmonid populations have not been comprehensively assessed. The growth and diet of juvenile Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), rearing in a reach designed to enhance spawning were evaluated to determine how a non‐target life stage fared in the engineered habitat. Prior work demonstrated differences in food web structure between restored and unenhanced reaches of the Merced River, thus juvenile salmon feeding dynamics were also hypothesised to vary. Dependent variables were compared among fish collected from within and near the upper boundary of the restored reach and in an unenhanced habitat upstream. Diets, otolith‐derived growth and stable isotope‐inferred trophic positions were compared. Baetidae mayflies were particularly important prey in the restored reach, while elsewhere individuals exhibited heterogeneous diets. Salmon residing at the bottom of the restored reach exhibited slightly faster growth rates relative to fish collected elsewhere, although stable isotope and diet analyses suggested that they fed at a relatively low trophic position. Specialised Baetis predation and/or abundant interstitial refugia potentially improved rearing conditions in the restored reach. Data suggest that gravel enhancement and channel realignment designed to augment adult spawning habitat may simultaneously support juvenile Chinook salmon despite low invertebrate food resources.     

Tracking change in a human‐dominated landscape: developing conservation guidelines using freshwater fish

• 1. To conserve biodiversity in a human‐dominated landscape, a science‐based inventory and monitoring plan is needed that quantifies existing resources, isolates drivers that maintain natural communities, determines harmful stressors, and links ecological drivers and human stressors. A tactical approach is proposed for conservation planning using freshwater fish at the Cape Cod National Seashore.
• 2. Freshwater fish are well studied and occur across environmental gradients. The lentic systems at the national park are relatively pristine yet are enveloped by a region of high population density. Using fish community data, three steps were taken for tracking anthropogenic impacts in a human dominated landscape. First, fish and potential drivers were sampled intensively along a gradient to determine which fish metrics reflect natural communities and which abiotic and biotic factors structure them. Second, emerging and existing regional human threats were identified. Third, these human threats were linked to the potential drivers that maintain natural communities to identify the most informative metrics to monitor and track change.
• 3. Fish communities, water quality, habitat, and food resources were sampled concurrently in 18 ponds in 1999 and 2000. Three common fish species explained 98% of variation in numbers across systems. Based on ecological relationships, pH, depth, vegetation, prey, and community complexity were determined to maintain biodiversity of freshwater fish communities.
• 4. The primary human threats here included: development‐related, land‐use changes; non‐point source pollution; eutrophication from septic systems; and introduced species that are a byproduct of high human visitation. These are common threats in many rapidly urbanized areas and are likely to have relevance to many sites.
• 5. To track the impact of emerging threats to freshwater ponds related to increased human population, monitoring changes in water quality, vegetated habitat, fish diversity, and trophic interactions are recommended.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Genetic refuges for a self‐sustained fishery: experience in wild brown trout populations in the eastern Pyrenees

Abstract – Management policies balancing harvest and conservation of natural populations of fish are difficult to establish, both scientifically and politically. This issue is particularly difficult when those populations represent native genetic resources. Since 1997, several brown trout populations in the eastern Pyrenees Mountains (Spain) were designated as ‘genetic refuges’ under varying fishing regulations, where releases of hatchery‐origin fish are not permitted. We analysed genetic variation in samples of brown trout from six of those refuge populations and four non‐refuge populations within the same region. Each population was sampled in four separate years: 1993, 1999, 2004 and 2006. Our analyses were based on a diagnostic allele (LDH‐C*90) that distinguishes native and exogenous hatchery populations. Comparisons were based on stocking histories before and after refuge designations and on three management strategies: fished, unfished and catch‐and‐release. Overall, we detected significant genetic introgression resulting from past stocking practices despite the current restriction of hatchery releases imposed by the recent genetic refuge policy. However, this new policy has prevented detectable introgression from increasing throughout the region and together with additional measures on length and number of captured fish is contributing to self‐sustained fisheries that are achieving conservation goals. Quick acceptance of ‘genetic refuges’ by anglers in one particular river, the Ter River basin, has been a key factor in protecting native gene pools compared with the Segre River basins where refuges were not readily accepted.     

Space use and inferred spawning activity of three exploited gamefish species on a large artificial reef

Intense fishing pressure has led to changes in species composition, demography and the over‐exploitation of many coastal fishes. To restore populations, artificial reefs (ARs) are used with the assumption that new habitat will increase fish productivity. Kelp bass (Paralabrax clathratus), barred sand bass (P. nebulifer) and California sheephead (Semicossyphus pulcher) are three important recreational gamefish species in southern California. Home ranging behaviour, space use and spawning‐related activity of these three species were quantified on a large AR. Kelp bass used the largest amount of area, but space use was similar among species. While no spawning behaviour could be determined for sheephead, kelp bass exhibited two different activity patterns during spawning months and barred sand bass migrated (indicative of spawning). Results of this study indicate that this large AR is providing suitable habitat for these species, and spawning‐related activity could be a sign that this AR is meeting essential life history demands.     

The utility of simple fish community metrics for evaluating the relative influence of fishing vs. other environmental drivers on Caribbean reef fish communities

Fish community metrics have been extensively investigated as indicators of fishing effects for ecosystem‐based fisheries management (EBFM) in temperate systems. Little similar work has been performed in the coral reefs of the Caribbean, where simple indicators are urgently needed. Here, we use 415 coral reef surveys throughout the Caribbean to assess the potential of four simple and intuitive fish community metrics, namely, fish biomass, fish density, average fish weight and species richness, to separate fishing effects from those of other environmental factors at both local (tens of kilometres) and broad (hundreds to thousands of kilometres) spatial scales. We found that these fish metrics differed considerably in environmental correlates and the spatial scales underlying fish metric–environment associations. Average fish weight and fish biomass were most sensitive to fishing indices at both spatial scales, although average fish weight responded more sensitively and specifically to fishing than fish biomass. Fish density and species richness were most sensitive to temperature over broad scales and to macroalgae and relief height over local ones. All fish metrics were negatively correlated with macroalgae over broad scales, supporting the utility of macroalgae to inform about the integrity of entire reef ecosystems. Most of the fish metric variance associated with fishing pressure operated over broad scales, highlighting the need for a Caribbean‐wide view of fish community status to establish local management objectives and avoid shifting baselines. Our study clarifies the utility of simple fish community metrics as indicators of fishing effects for EBFM in the Caribbean.     

Quantifying allowable harm in species at risk: application to the Laurentian black redhorse (Moxostoma duquesnei)

• 1. When a species is identified for conservation, often the only way to effect recovery is to reduce the harm imposed by stressors threatening the survival of the species. Ideally all threats would be removed; however, this is often not feasible or practical. Within this context, a demographic approach is presented to assess how much human‐induced harm could be allowed without impairing the persistence of the species. Harm is defined as a negative perturbation that can target one or more vital rates and life stages simultaneously.
• 2. Allowable harm, defined as a level of harm that will not jeopardize survival or recovery, will be a function of the vital rates affected by human actions, the sensitivity of population growth to changes in these vital rates (their elasticities), the population growth rate prevailing before harm occurs, and the set of demographic parameters considered safe for long‐term persistence. This life‐history based approach requires minimal data, can link demography with habitat‐explicit information, is flexible enough to encompass complex life histories, and follows a precautionary approach.
• 3. Quantification of allowable harm could be applied to any species at risk. This approach is introduced by applying it to a Canadian population of a freshwater fish, the black redhorse (Moxostoma duquesnei), demonstrating that in the absence of habitat constraints population dynamics of this species are most sensitive to the survival of young adults, but population fitness is particularly sensitive to the loss of habitat used by young‐of‐the‐year fish under current levels of habitat supply.

Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluating effects of water withdrawals and impoundments on fish assemblages in southern New England streams,USA

Abstract Balancing aquatic conservation and water supply is becoming a major global issue for urban landscapes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ecological effects of stream‐flow alterations via water withdrawals and impoundments on fish assemblage structure. Electric fishing data were collected at 33 wadeable streams in Connecticut, located in the Southern New England region of USA. Fish sampling was conducted directly downstream of water withdrawals for municipal and agricultural water supply, and study sites differed in potential water withdrawal rates and the presence of impoundments. Regression analysis showed that water withdrawal rate was more important than other natural and anthropogenic factors (e.g. landcover and stream size) in explaining several fish assemblage metrics. Stream sites with high withdrawal rates were generally characterised by lower proportions of fluvial dependent fishes (fish which need flowing water to complete a portion of their life history) and benthic invertivores (fish which feed on bottom‐dwelling stream insects in riffle habitat), and had a greater percent composition of macrohabitat generalists, particularly members of the family Centrarchidae. Some assemblage metrics responded linearly with increasing magnitude of water withdrawals, but others were non‐linear. Results are consistent with ecological theory that alteration of the natural flow regime will impact stream biota.     

Trouble on the reef: the imperative for managing vulnerable and valuable fisheries

Reef fishes are significant socially, nutritionally and economically, yet biologically they are vulnerable to both over‐exploitation and degradation of their habitat. Their importance in the tropics for living conditions, human health, food security and economic development is enormous, with millions of people and hundreds of thousands of communities directly dependent, and many more indirectly so. Reef fish fisheries are also critical safety valves in times of economic or social hardship or disturbance, and are more efficient, less wasteful and support far more livelihoods per tonne produced than industrial scale fisheries. Yet, relative to other fisheries globally, those associated with coral reefs are under‐managed, under‐funded, under‐monitored, and as a consequence, poorly understood or little regarded by national governments. Even among non‐governmental organizations, which are increasingly active in tropical marine issues, there is typically little focus on reef‐associated resources, the interest being more on biodiversity per se or protection of coral reef habitat. This essay explores the background and history to this situation, examines fishery trends over the last 30 years, and charts a possible way forward given the current realities of funding, capacity, development patterns and scientific understanding of coral reef ecosystems. The luxury live reef food‐fish trade is used throughout as a case study because it exemplifies many of the problems and challenges of attaining sustainable use of coral reef‐associated resources. The thesis developed is that sustaining reef fish fisheries and conserving biodiversity can be complementary, rather than contradictory, in terms of yield from reef systems. I identify changes in perspectives needed to move forward, suggest that we must be cautious of ‘fashionable’ solutions or apparent ‘quick fixes’, and argue that fundamental decisions must be made concerning the short and long‐term values of coral reef‐associated resources, particularly fish, for food and cash and regarding alternative sources of protein. Not to address the problems will inevitably lead to growing poverty, hardship and social unrest in many areas.