Evaluationof the effects of the community-based fishery management programme on the reef fish communities in American Samoa
Lawrence A. 2005. Evaluationof the effects of the community-based fishery management programme on the reef fish communities in American Samoa. University of Wales
The reef fish and coral communities in American Samoa have experienced numerous anthropogenic and natural perturbations over the last few decades, which has led to habitat degradation and recruitment overfishing. A Community-Based Fisheries Management Programme (CBFMP) was implemented in 2001 and there are currently 7 participating villages that aim to improve their reef resources by closing their reefs to fishing activity. This project aimed to compare quantitative descriptions of reef fish assemblage characteristics between sites fully protected by the CommunityBased Fisheries Management Programme (CBFMP), partially protected statutory MPAs (sMPA), and sites not protected from fishing activity.