Management challenges of small-scale fishing communities in a protected reef system of Veracruz, Gulf of Mexico

Abstract  Socioeconomic characterisation of fishing activities in the Veracruz Reef System National Park was used to develop a management system which balances the community's livelihood, and the conservation needs of the protected area. A survey was applied to four sectors of the fishing community: the fishers, fishers' wives, retailers and local population. The survey determined their perceptions about: (1) fishing as a lifestyle; (2) economic alternatives; (3) perspectives about the future; (4) environment; and (5) knowledge of the National Park as a protected area. Fishers devoted an average of 27 years fishing, investing an average of 12 h per day giving a regular income of 15–20 US$. Most interviewed (60%) were full-time fishers, with fishing the only family income source. Fishers are predominately educated to primary school level (64%).The main problem faced by fishers and the communities were economic opportunities but 89% believed that mariculture could be an alternative income source. There was strong ecological awareness, with 75% aware of the decline in fisheries resource and 62% knowing about the role of protected areas. There was divided opinion about future perspectives. Inefficient organisation and communication between authorities and fishers were identified as obstacles to co-management. Discussion on alternative incomes and a proposal involve fishers in co-management initiatives are presented.     

The ‘pole-hooking’ method: A novel and economical technique for in situ tagging small to medium-sized fishes

We describe a new manual procedure for catching and tagging fish underwater, the ‘pole-hooking’ method, and demonstrate and discuss its advantages over standard tagging techniques (i.e. hook-and-line fishing). The new technique was designed for tagging Acanthistius brasilianus [Cuvier, M., Valenciennes, L.B., 1828. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons. Museau de Histoire Naturelle, Paris], a small to medium-sized fish inhabiting rocky reefs of the Argentine coast. The pole-hooking method minimizes injuries, avoids fast depressurization of fish and allows registration of the precise location of capture and release. In addition, the equipment needed is very simple and economical. The mean number of fish tagged per minute using this methodology on shallow rocky reefs (up to 25-m depth) was similar to that obtained during hook-and-line fishing sessions (ca. one tagged fish every 3 min), given similar densities of A. brasilianus in the fished reefs.     

基于稳定同位素方法的珊瑚礁鱼类营养层次研究

以珊瑚礁生态系统中的鱼类作为研究对象,对2006年9月至2007年8月期间在徐闻珊瑚礁海区采集到的鱼类样本分类鉴定后,运用稳定碳氮同位素方法进行鱼类营养层次的分析。结果表明,δ13C值和δ15N值的跨度都很大,δ13C值的范围为–20.98‰～–9.05‰,相差11.93‰;δ15N值的范围为11.66‰～18.15‰,差值达6.49‰。与其他海区相比,δ13C值和δ15N值显得更为富集。由δ15N值计算出来的营养层次表明,徐闻珊瑚礁鱼类分布在两端(杂食性鱼类与高级肉食性鱼类)的只占少数,绝大多数居于中间的层次(低级肉食性鱼类与中级肉食性鱼类)。在134种鱼类中,种类数最多的是以条尾鲱鲤、少鳞代表的低级肉食性鱼类,有70种,占鱼类总数的52%;其次是以细鳞鯻、龙头鱼为代表的中级肉食性鱼类,有47种,占鱼类总数的35%;鰶以斑、前鳞骨鲻为代表的杂食性鱼类和以宽尾斜齿鲨、杂食豆齿鳗为代表的高级肉食性鱼类各有11种、6种,分别占鱼类总种类数的8%和5%。在此基础上选取54种鱼类进行稳定同位素方法与胃含物法分析结果对比,发现约85%的鱼种采用两种方法测定的结果在0.5个营养级的误差范围内一致,只有少数鱼种的差值大于0.5个营养级。由此可见稳定同位素分析法与传统的胃含物分析法所得的结果有很好的一致性,稳定同位素分析法是一种研究海洋食物网营养层次的有效方法。     

High survivorship of an annually decreasing aggregation of hawksbill turtles,Eretmochelys imbricata,found foraging in the northern Great Barrier Reef

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Engaging Great Barrier Reef Stakeholders: Mediation Analyses of Barriers Among the Antecedents of Pro-Environmental Behavior

Resource managers continually attempt to influence stakeholder behavior to protect ecosystems. To aid managers and further our understanding of the human dimensions of natural resource management researchers have developed theories of pro-environmental behavior and to identify barriers to such behavior. However, there is a paucity of research integrating the two. There is a need to understand how perceived barriers influence the adoption of pro-environmental behaviors directly and how these barriers interact with the antecedents to pro-environmental behavior. Using the value-belief-norm theory as a guiding framework, we sought to fill this gap by investigating the effect of two barriers (lack of knowledge and low self-efficacy) among the antecedents to climate change–related behavior of anglers and other stakeholders (n = 324) living adjacent to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Results suggested that modeling/theorizing about how barriers fit into this process is complex because of differing contexts and levels of inclusion of barriers in existing theories.     

An ecosystem‐scale predictive model of coastal seagrass distribution

• 1. Maintaining ecological processes that underpin the functioning of marine ecosystems requires planning and management of marine resources at an appropriate spatial scale.
• 2. The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBR) is the world's largest World Heritage Area (approximately 348 000 km²) and second largest marine protected area. It is difficult to inform the planning and management of marine ecosystems at that scale because of the high cost associated with collecting data. To address this and to inform the management of coastal (approximately 15 m below mean sea level) habitats at the scale of the GBR, this study determined the presence and distribution of seagrass by generating a Geographic Information System (GIS)‐based habitat suitability model.
• 3. A Bayesian belief network was used to quantify the relationship (dependencies) between seagrass and eight environmental drivers: relative wave exposure, bathymetry, spatial extent of flood plumes, season, substrate, region, tidal range and sea surface temperature. The analysis showed at the scale of the entire coastal GBR that the main drivers of seagrass presence were tidal range and relative wave exposure. Outputs of the model include probabilistic GIS‐surfaces of seagrass habitat suitability in two seasons and at a planning unit of cell size 2 km×2 km.
• 4. The habitat suitability maps developed in this study extend along the entire GBR coast, and can inform the management of coastal seagrasses at an ecosystem scale. The predictive modelling approach addresses the problems associated with delineating habitats at the scale appropriate for the management of ecosystems and the cost of collecting field data. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

美济礁近岸海域夏季浮游植物群落结构特征及其与环境因子的关系

美济礁位于我国南沙群岛中东部,其自然资源丰富,为探明近岸海域夏季浮游植物群落结构特征、水质因子及其两者之间的关系,于2018年8月对美济礁近岸海域12个站次的网采浮游植物进行调查,共记录浮游植物83属199种。硅藻门和甲藻门的种类组成占绝对优势,主要优势种有距端根管藻、红海颤藻、薄壁几内亚藻、翼根管藻纤细变型、透明辐杆藻、舟形藻、裸甲藻、双眉藻和伏氏海毛藻。美济礁浮游植物多样性程度较高,种类比较丰富,多样性指数、均匀度和丰富度平均分别为4.21、1.18和6.64。其中,礁盘外的浮游植物多样性程度要高于礁盘内。电导率和硝酸盐氮含量是影响浮游植物群落结构的显著影响因子。电导率越高,浮游植物多样性水平越高。硝酸盐氮含量越高,浮游植物群落的丰富度则越低。本次调查研究为南沙群岛生态系统以及热带珊瑚礁生态系统提供了基础资料。     

美济礁附近海域3种金枪鱼肌肉成分检测与营养评价

为分析中国南海美济礁附近海域大目金枪鱼(Thunnus obesus)、蓝鳍金枪鱼(T.thynnus)、黄鳍金枪鱼(T.albacares)的营养成分与营养价值,该研究采用国标法检测了3种金枪鱼的水分、蛋白质、灰分、脂肪酸和氨基酸成分及其结构,并进行营养评价。结果显示,3种金枪鱼中黄鳍金枪鱼蛋白质含量最高,蓝鳍金枪鱼脂肪和灰分含量最高;以氨基酸评分(AAS)和必需氨基酸指数(EAAI)为评分标准,3种金枪鱼氨基酸评分均大于等于1;3种金枪鱼各种必需氨基酸构成均优于联合国粮食及农业组织(FAO)/世界卫生组织(WHO)模式;蓝鳍金枪鱼的油酸含量远高于其他2种金枪鱼,且差异显著(P<0.05);蓝鳍金枪鱼的单不饱和脂肪酸(MUFA)和多不饱和脂肪酸(PUFA)种类最多且含量最高。结果表明,3种金枪鱼均具有较丰富的营养成分、较完美的营养比例和较高的营养价值;3种金枪鱼相比,黄鳍金枪鱼可提供更多的蛋白质,蓝鳍金枪鱼提供更多的不饱和脂肪酸。美济礁附近海域3种金枪鱼具有很高的开发价值,成分检测对研究设计这3种金枪鱼专用驯化养殖饲料有重要的参考价值。     

Assessing the effects of marine protected area (MPA) on a reef fish assemblage in a northwestern Mediterranean marine reserve: Identifying community-based indicators

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly envisaged as a tool to manage coastal ecosystems and fisheries. Assessment of their performance with respect to management objectives is therefore important. A number of MPAs provided conservation benefits for fished species. Observed benefits do not apply to all species at all times, and responses to protection are also highly variable among fish taxa. Among the many empirical studies on marine reserves, only a few designs considered ‘before and after data’ and spatial variation. In this paper, we are interested in assessing the effect of a no-take reserve on the reef fish assemblage in a northwestern Mediterranean example. Data were obtained from a three-year survey using underwater visual censuses (UVC), before and after MPA establishment. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) and multivariate regression trees (MRT) were used to evaluate the effects of reserve protection on the reef fish assemblage, while accounting for habitat. Modelled biological responses were abundances and diversity indices calculated at different levels of the assemblage. Significant effects were found for many of these metrics. In addition to PERMANOVA, univariate models provided more insight into the magnitude and direction of effects. The most sensitive metrics were related to large species and species targeted by fishing. These results may be used to choose the metrics that are more suitable as community-based indicators of MPA impact in the perspective of monitoring programs.     

Coral reefs: Conserving the evolutionary sources

The current worldwide degradation of coral reefs constitutes an international problem that calls for immediate attention. A multitude of conservation hotspots scattered over the circumtropical seas have been identified, but there has been no general agreement as to how to attack the problem. The major difficulty seems to be the lack of a priority system. Are some reefs more important than others? If so, where are they located and what needs to be done? Some reefs are located in areas where the biodiversity (species, genera, families) is exceptionally high and where there is evidence of past and present evolutionary production. These areas are called centres of origin and one is located in the Indo-Pacific Ocean and the other in the Atlantic. The Indo-Pacific centre, located in the East Indies Triangle, is considered to be the primary tropical center due to its broad geographic influence. The Atlantic centre, located in the southern Caribbean Sea, is considered a secondary centre because its influence is restricted to the tropical Atlantic. These centres, although occupying relatively small geographic areas, are evidently the source of dominant species that have played the major role in assembling coral reef communities across each ocean. The existence of the two centres permits one to realize that, in the coral reef environment, there is a geographical separation between process and pattern. Recognition of the separation will allow significant improvements in conservation planning. The evolutionary process in the centres must be protected in order to maintain the outlying diversity patterns.