Abstract

As an initial step towards the implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to management, the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC) has recently ratified three island-based fishery management plans (IBFMP) that upon secretarial approval, will supplant the existing regional fishery management plans. The newly formed IBFMPs account for nuances among the individual island platforms in the U.S. Caribbean (i.e., Puerto Rico, St. Thomas/St. John, and St. Croix) including ecological, cultural, and social considerations. The island-based approach represents the first such management strategy among the eight fishery management councils in the United States and therefore remains an untested technique in the context of fishery management in the United States. This study evaluated the decision to separate fishery management among the island platforms by comparing fish assemblages through time in the region. Specifically, the study quantified spatial and temporal differences in fish community structure and function using three open source datasets that were collected via fishery-independent methods. All three datasets were sponsored by NOAA and quantified diurnal fish communities among photic-zone coral reefs (i.e., < 30 m). The results suggest that the structure and function of fish communities is spatially driven, with little temporal influence. In addition, these spatial differences can be quantified via the characteristics of particular fish populations, or indicator species. Combined with the ecological, cultural, and social differences among the islands, the spatial nature of the fish community data support the decision of the CFMC to transition to island-based management plans. As NMFS aims to implement ecosystem-based approaches to management across the nation, the CFMC has taken the initial steps towards that goal.

PDF Preview