Fish with chips: tracking reef fish movements to evaluate size and connectivity of Caribbean marine protected areas.

Simon J Pittman,Richard S Nemeth,Mark E Monaco,Bryan Legare,Matthew S Kendall,Randall D Clark,Chris Caldow,Lisa M Wedding,Alan M Friedlander,Matthew Poti,Christopher J Fulton

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0096028

Simon J Pittman, Richard S Nemeth + Show 9 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0096028

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Abstract

Coral reefs and associated fish populations have experienced rapid decline in the Caribbean region and marine protected areas (MPAs) have been widely implemented to address this decline. The performance of no-take MPAs (i.e., marine reserves) for protecting and rebuilding fish populations is influenced by the movement of animals within and across their boundaries. Very little is known about Caribbean reef fish movements creating a critical knowledge gap that can impede effective MPA design, performance and evaluation. Using miniature implanted acoustic transmitters and a fixed acoustic receiver array, we address three key questions: How far can reef fish move? Does connectivity exist between adjacent MPAs? Does existing MPA size match the spatial scale of reef fish movements? We show that many reef fishes are capable of traveling far greater distances and in shorter duration than was previously known. Across the Puerto Rican Shelf, more than half of our 163 tagged fish (18 species of 10 families) moved distances greater than 1 km with three fish moving more than 10 km in a single day and a quarter spending time outside of MPAs. We provide direct evidence of ecological connectivity across a network of MPAs, including estimated movements of more than 40 km connecting a nearshore MPA with a shelf-edge spawning aggregation. Most tagged fish showed high fidelity to MPAs, but also spent time outside MPAs, potentially contributing to spillover. Three-quarters of our fish were capable of traveling distances that would take them beyond the protection offered by at least 40–64% of the existing eastern Caribbean MPAs. We recommend that key species movement patterns be used to inform and evaluate MPA functionality and design, particularly size and shape. A re-scaling of our perception of Caribbean reef fish mobility and habitat use is imperative, with important implications for ecology and management effectiveness.

Highlights

In the past 50 years, coral reef ecosystems of the Caribbean Sea have experienced considerable region-wide declines in the abundance and body size of many fished species and in the quality of their habitat [1,2,3]
In the Caribbean and elsewhere, marine protected areas (MPAs) placement, size and shape, typically have been delineated without knowledge of the movements of the animals they are intended to protect. This is a widespread practice for coral reef-centered MPAs where placement and shape are generally designed using relatively static biophysical features of the seafloor and with political and socio-economic considerations rather than criteria based on functional ecology [32,33,43,44]
High mobility, was detected for several species that are usually perceived as exhibiting relatively low mobility highlighting how little is known about reef fish movements

Summary

Introduction

In the past 50 years, coral reef ecosystems of the Caribbean Sea have experienced considerable region-wide declines in the abundance and body size of many fished species and in the quality of their habitat [1,2,3]. Our study provides new information for several species, longer duration continuous tracking of multiple individuals at different life stages, together with high resolution mapping of the seafloor will help to better understand the movement ecology of fishes associated with Caribbean coral reefs.

Results

Conclusion