Abstract

Marine protected areas (MPA) are valuable tools for biodiversity conservation and fisheries management. Their effectiveness is highly dependent on spillover of fish through unprotected areas and connectivity between MPA. Nowadays, many works are focused on predictive modeling to determinate MPA optimal size and distance between marine reserves. We proposed an empirical study in Martinique to evaluate the efficacy of different MPA according to size (73 ha, 956 ha,1164 ha) and distance from each other. Two complementary methods are chosen; firstly, acoustic telemetry is used to determine the movement capacity of coral fish on different scale of time (day, season and annual) and local movement patterns. The hydrophones network covers 502 ha: 302 ha in Atlantic side and 200 ha in Caribbean side (reserve: 150 ha and unprotected: 50 ha). In Caribbean coast, displacement of coral reef fish within no-take zone and fishing area would be compared. Study of connectivity concerns more the Atlantic coast which MPA network is less extended than on the Caribbean side. Secondly, external tagging is used to define insular movement. Moreover, underwater visual census (UVC) of coral fish diversity, size, and abundance are conducted to analyse fish population structure of protected and non-protected zones. First results show different responses according to family group, exploitation rate of species and MPA size. This study will be conducted within the next three years and would permit to gather new knowledge on coral reef fish local movement patterns in no-take zones which will improve the effectiveness of fisheries management.

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