Fish with Chips: Tracking Reef Fish Movements to Evaluate Size and Connectivity of Caribbean Marine Protected Areas

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.

Aquatic animal telemetry: A panoramic window into the underwater world

“…Eighteen species of acoustically tagged reef fishes in the Caribbean region showed fidelity to marine protected areas (MPAs). However, three-quarters of the species examined travelled outside their protective limits (61). In contrast, telemetry data for five historically overfished snapper and grouper species in the Dry Tortugas islands indicated that the fish stayed primarily in a no-take marine reserve, which should provide sufficient protection for species recovery (Fig.…”

The range of juvenile movements of estuarine and coastal nursery dependent flatfishes: estimation from a meta-analytical approach

“…To that aim, coastal and estuarine Marine Protected Areas could efficiently allow for the protection of essential nursery habitats (Mesnildrey et al, 2013) As many species present both a similar dependence to coastal and estuarine nursery grounds (Seitz et al, 2014) and a moderate dispersion along the life cycle (Pittman et al, 2014), these insights from flatfish case studies could be considered of more general interest and significance across fish taxa.…”

Diel habitat-use patterns of commercially important fishes in a marine protected area in the Philippines

“…Grober- Dunsmore et al 2007, Planes et al 2009, Alós et al 2011. As populations inside reserves can be influenced by the movements of individuals, information on the spatial scales of adult movement and propagule dispersal is critical for the design of effective MPAs (Mora et al 2006, Grüss et al 2011, Pittman et al 2014.…”

“…algae, mollusks, crustaceans, and fishes). Generally, the home ranges of large herbivorous and predatory fishes cover several km 2 (Palumbi 2004, Sale et al 2005, Pittman et al 2014. Chateau & Wantiez (2009) used acoustic telemetry to study the movement patterns of 4 commercially important reef fish species among 3 reefs, one within an MPA (8.5 km 2 ) and the other 2 outside the MPA.…”

“…The habitat-use patterns of large mobile fishes are generally difficult to understand because they have wide home ranges and diel movement patterns (Pittman et al 2014). Underwater visual censuses have been used to assess fish movements across multiple habitats (e.g.…”