Marine protected areas have been established as essential components for managing and protecting coral reefs to mitigate natural and anthropogenic stressors. One noteworthy example within the Mexican Caribbean is the Arrecife de Puerto Morelos National Park (APMNP), where several studies on the coral communities have been carried out since 2006. In June 2019, we conducted a study in eight sites of the APMNP applying a coral reef assessment method based on biological indicators of both the benthos and the fish communities. In this paper, we present the quantitative results of our study and provide a qualitative criterion assessing seven condition indexes through a scoring system. We also present a statistical comparison with a previous study carried out in 2016. The general status of coral reefs was classified as regular due to the low values of coral recruitment rate and biomass of key commercial fish species. However, living coral cover average was above 20%, with a slight dominance of framework building coral species and the presence of low values of fleshy algae cover, these being positive indicators. Our study found a higher proportion of reef promoter elements and a lower proportion of detractors, compared to a previous study carried out in 2016.
The Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois volitans is an invasive species that was first recorded in the Guanahacabibes National Park (GNP), a marine protected area in western Cuba, in 2009. In order to determine the invasion progression of this species, we studied lionfish abundance, size, and diet at 6 sites in the GNP between 2010 and 2014. The species' density, biomass, and length increased over this period, probably due to the abundance of food and shelter in the GNP. Analysis of stomach contents indicated that lionfish fed primarily on fish and crustaceans; main prey were teleosts, predominantly Gobiidae, Pomacentridae, Mullidae, Labridae, Scaridae, and Grammatidae. This example of a rapid increase in an unmanaged population at the onset of invasion provides information that can be used to design a management program targeting lionfish.
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