Fish with chips: tracking reef fish movements to evaluate size and connectivity of Caribbean marine protected areas.

ABSTRACT: Coral reefs and associated fish populations have experienced rapid decline in the Caribbean region and marine protected areas (MPAs) have been widely implemented to address this decline. The performance of no-take MPAs (i.e., marine reserves) for protecting and rebuilding fish populations is influenced by the movement of animals within and across their boundaries. Very little is known about Caribbean reef fish movements creating a critical knowledge gap that can impede effective MPA design, performance and evaluation. Using miniature implanted acoustic transmitters and a fixed acoustic receiver array, we address three key questions: How far can reef fish move? Does connectivity exist between adjacent MPAs? Does existing MPA size match the spatial scale of reef fish movements? We show that

SUBMITTER: Pittman SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4010402 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature