A Retrospective (1979-1996) Multispecies Assessment of Coral Reef Fish Stocks in the Florida Keys
Ault JS, Bohnsack JA, Meester GA. 1998. A Retrospective (1979-1996) Multispecies Assessment of Coral Reef Fish Stocks in the Florida Keys. Fishery Bulletin. 96(3):395-414
A baseline assessment of 35 economically and ecologically important Florida Keys reef fish stocks is provided by using a systems approach that integrates sampling, statistics, and mathematical modeling. Quantitative fishery-independent data from reef fish visual surveys conducted by SCUBA divers from 1979 to 1996 were used to develop estimates of population abundance, assemblage composition, and stock structures in relation to key physical and habitat factors. Analyses show that 13 snappers, one wrasse, and 2 grunts are below the 30% SPR (spawning potential ratio) minimum. Some stocks appear to have been chronically overfished since the late 1970s. The Florida Keys reef fishery exhibits classic "serial overfishing" in which the largest, most desirable, and vulnerable species are depleted by overfishing. Rapid growth of the barracuda population during the same period suggests that fishing has contributed to substantial changes in community structure and dynamics.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Ault, Jerald; Bohnsack, James; Meester, Geoffrey
- Units
- BISC
- Keywords
- Coral Reef, Dry Tortugas National Park, Fish, Fisheries, FL, Florida Keys, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Florida Reef Tract, Management, Reef, Research Methods