Are Abrolhos no-take area sites of naïve fish? An evaluation using flight initiation distance of labrids

José De Anchieta C C Nunes,Cláudio L S Sampaio,Miguel Loiola,Ricardo J Miranda,Francisco Barros

doi:10.1590/1982-0224-20160133

José De Anchieta C C Nunes, Cláudio L S Sampaio + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0224-20160133

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Fishing pressure affects the behavior of reef fish, especially of fishery-targeted species. In this context, it is critical to understand if fish behavior is preserved in no-take areas (NTAs), which are considered the best instrument for the recovery of fish stocks. Comparing the flight initiation distances (FIDs) of fish inhabiting multiple-use areas (MUAs), where fishing is allowed (including spearfishing), and NTAs is a useful approach to test whether NTAs can be effective as fish refuges. Here, we compared whether the FIDs of two target (Sparisoma axillare and Scarus trispinosus ) and one non-target (Halichoeres poeyi ) labrids are greater in the MUAs than in the NTAs. We also investigated whether group size (GS) and body size (BS) exert any effect on the FID. We sampled four MUAs and four NTAs in the Abrolhos Bank (Brazil). We found that only for the targeted species FID was shorter inside the NTAs and that the BS had a positive effect on the FID of all species. The GS and BS of the fish are greater in the NTAs than in the multiple-use areas only for S. trispinosus . Our study shows that fish, especially those species that are fishery targets, display an avoidance behavior against spearfishermen likely as a consequence of fishing pressure. We suggest that the NTAs in Abrolhos are not only important sites for the recovery of fish stocks but also possibly act as a repository area of naïve fish (fish that allow human approach), for reefs open for fishing.

Highlights

Among the anthropogenic damages on coral reefs, fishing activities stand out as one of the main drivers causing ecosystem degradation (Jackson et al, 2001)
Our study indicates that the flight initiation distances (FIDs) was different for the two harvested species, the two endemic parrotfishes S. trispinosus and S. axillare
These results corroborate other studies developed in the Caribbean (Gotanda et al, 2009) and the Pacific Ocean (Januchowski-Hartley et al, 2012, 2013), which showed that fish display avoidance behaviors against spearfishermen as a consequence of fishing pressure, especially those species that are fishery targets

Summary

Introduction

Among the anthropogenic damages on coral reefs, fishing activities stand out as one of the main drivers causing ecosystem degradation (Jackson et al, 2001). Understanding the consequences of fishing for reef communities, especially for reef fishes, is of utmost importance. Fishing has clear direct effects on harvested species, but its cascading, indirect effects are relatively less understood (Madin et al, 2010). Research has shown that fish behavior can be strongly influenced by fishing pressure (Feary et al, 2011; Januchowski-Hartley et al, 2013). Fishing can remove larger and predatory fishes from marine food webs, their prey may increase in number and alter its behavior (Madin et al, 2010). When behavioral responses impact the food resources of prey species, behaviorally mediated trophic cascades can dramatically shape seascapes (Madin et al, 2010; 2011)

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