Volume 60

Identifying reef fish spawning aggregations in Alacranes Reef, off northern Yucatan Peninsula, using the fishermen traditional ecological knowledge.


Authors
Aguilar-Perera, A., C. Gonzalez-SalasA. Tuz-Sulub, H. Villegas-Hernandez and M. Lopez-Gomez.
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Other Information


Date: November, 2007


Pages: 554-558


Event: Proceedings of the Sixtieth Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute


City: Punta Cana


Country: Dominican Republic

Abstract

Fish spawning aggregations (FSAs) are among the most relevant ecological events in tropical, shallow waters. Many fish species migrate to build spawning aggregations at specific traditional sites in coral reefs every year, and many of these aggregations are severely exploited to the level of disappearance. In Mexico, the knowledge of such events is scarce, but efforts exist to document their characteristics. In Yucatan, there is scarce information available and they have not been considered further within both management and conservation plans. This work aims to identify and document the presence of key FSAs in Alacranes reef, based on the perspective of veteran and experienced local fishermen (traditional ecological knowledge), as to incorporate the importance of FSAs in management and conservation approaches.

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