Synthesis of coral reef health indicators for the Western Atlantic: Results of the AGRRA program (1997-2000)

Abstract

dcsigncd to collect both descriptive and quantitative information for a large number of rccf vitalitj' indicators over large spatial scales. AGRRA assessments conducted between 1998 and 2000 across a spectrum of western Atlantic reefs with different histories of disturbance. environmental conditions. and fishing pressure were examined to reveal means and variances for 15 indicators. Twenty surveys were con~piled into a database containing a total of 302 benthic sites (249 deep. 53 shallow), 2,337 benthic transects, 14.000 quadrats, 22.553 stony corals. Seventeen surveys contained comparable fish data for a total of 247 fish sites (206 deep, 41 shallow). 2.488 fish transects, and 71 .I02 fishes. Shallow (< 5 m) reefs were dominated by A. palmata, a good proportion of which was standing dead. while deep (>5m) reefs were nearly always dominated by the Montastraea on11u1~iri.s species con~plex. Fish communities were doininated by acanthurids and scarids wit11 seranids malting up less than 1% of the fish seen on shallow reek and 4% on deep reefs.AGRIiA benthic and fish indicators on deep reefs showed the highest variation at the smallest spatial scale (-C0.1 km), with recent mortality and macroalgal canopy height displaying the largest area and subregional scale (-1 -1 00 kin) variation. A mean live coral cover of 26% for the 20 survey areas was determined for the deep sites. Significant bleaching and disease-induced mortality of stony corals associated with the 1998 (El NiAo-Southern Oscillation) E N S 0 event were most apparent in the western Caribbean and Bahamas subregions and the Montastraea annularis complex was the most heavily impacted.The overall low nomber of sightings for larger-bodied groupers and snappers (-< 111 00 m2) as a whole suggest that the entire region is overfished for many of these more heavily targeted species. More remote reefs showed as much evidence of reef degradation as reefs more proximal to human coastal development. Characterizing present-day reef condition across the region is a complex problem since there are likely multiple sources of stress operating over several spatial and temporal scales. Not withstanding the many

Tradeoffs between fisheries harvest and the resilience of coral reefs

“…We believe that this goal is feasible because wellenforced, protected marine areas can provide an estimate of virgin biomass, many jurisdictions routinely monitor parrotfish stocks for other ecological purposes (e.g., ref. 29), and managers in St. Croix, the location of a major parrotfish fishery, are currently implementing size limits and setting annual catch limits. Rather than placing an additional monitoring burden on fisheries managers, this approach uses a wide network of coral reef surveyors who monitor fish stocks for recreational or conservation purposes.…”

Spatial variation of hermatypic coral assemblages in Cayos Cochinos Archipelago, Honduras

“…The dominance of the coral assemblages of the Caribbean Sea is generally high, due mainly to the species of the complex Montastraea (Kramer, 2003;Rodríguez-Zaragoza, 2007). In the Mexican Caribbean, the relative covers of M. faveolata and M. annularis exceed 60% of the total live coral cover (Rodríguez-Zaragoza, 2007).…”

“…Several studies have analyzed the structure of hermatypic coral assemblages (Karlson & Cornell, 2002;Ruiz-Zárate et al, 2003;Ruiz-Zárate 2005) or the condition of the reefs (Kramer, 2003;AriasGonzález et al, 2008;Carpenter et al, 2008;AlvarezFilip et al, 2011aAlvarezFilip et al, , 2011bArias-González et al, 2011) in the Caribbean Sea. At present, the reefs of this reef province have different degrees of health, with species of Montastraea having the greatest coverage (Kramer, 2003).…”

“…At present, the reefs of this reef province have different degrees of health, with species of Montastraea having the greatest coverage (Kramer, 2003). Geomorphological features and "reefscape" attributes such as live coral cover, reef area, and habitat complexity are good proxies that explain the coral species composition and coral richness on multiple spatial scales ( Arias-González et al, 2008.…”

Protocolos para o monitoramento de habitats bentônicos costeiros - Rede de Monitoramento de Habitat Bentônicos Costeiros - ReBentos

“…Para seleção das áreas a serem monitoradas, serão adotados os critérios descritos na Rede Global de Monitoramento dos Recifes de Corais (GCRMN) para descrever uma Região, uma Área ou Local, um Recife e um Sítio (Hill & Wilkinson, 2004;Kramer, 2003).…”