Abstract

Posting the AGRRA Database of fishes at 613 sites around the Tropical North Atlantic (Caribbean, Florida, Bahamas and Gulf of Mexico) online (at www.agrra.org) presents fisheries scientists with a special opportunity for addressing variations in abundance of both commercially significant, and of ecologically important herbivorous, reef fishes with key parameters such as location, reef zonation, maximum reef relief, large coral density, coral cover, macroalgal abundance, etc. Fish density and size estimates are based on standardized belt transects covering 600 m2/site; biomass is calculated using established length-weight relationships for Caribbean fishes. Density and biomass estimates for many areas are low. The ratio of commercially significant fishes to herbivorous fishes is relatively high in lightly fished, and some severely overfished, areas. Commercially significant fishes show a strong relationship with maximum relief (a proxy for rugosity) in crests and herbivorous fishes with large (> 1 m) coral density in fore reefs. Macroalgal index (a proxy for biomass) is inversely related to herbivorous fish biomass in both zones. Currently in preparation is a user-friendly interface for querying the data and generating individually customized reports.

PDF Preview