Unusual high fish biomass suggests healthy conditions in a Mexican reef on the southern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

Reef health can be assessed from the fish biomass (roving herbivorous and predatory commercial species). In this preliminary note, the biomass of fish indicators of a healthy reef of Blake Reef, Veracruz, is estimated and compared with that recorded in other systems in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The size and abundance of fish observed in Blake Reef determine a remarkable biomass that exceeds the estimates of other reefs. The health of this reef makes it an important reservoir of regional diversity.