Effect of the creation of a marine protected area on populations of Coral Trout in the coral triangle region

Abstract

Reef fish respond differently to reserve protection. The abundance and biomass of sedentary species and those with limited mobility should be higher inside the marine reserve and decline with increased distance from the center of the reserve. Reserve protection reduces fishing mortality and allows recovery or maintains fish population abundance within the reserve. We assessed the effects of protection on reef fish, including three species of Coral Trout (Plectropomus spp.), and hard coral cover at a marine reserve surrounding Lankayan Island, Sabah Malaysia, after 11 years of a ‘no-take’ policy. Underwater visual census conducted at 8 closed sites and 4 open sites indicated that total reef fish biomass and abundance, and Plectropomus spp. biomass were significantly higher inside the reserve. Eleven years of no-take policy appears to maintain Plectropomus spp. biomass up to 5 km from the reserve center. Hard coral cover influenced reef fish abundance and biomass but it did not affect the presence of Plectropomus spp. Our findings suggest that the effectiveness of a no-take marine reserve not only requires consideration of ecological connectivity, reserve size and location, but also socio-economic factors including compliance, enforcement availability and community participation to achieve greater benefits.