Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Thank you!
Buddy Guindon Jack Cabral
Eloy Cuevas
Peter Gladding
Anselmo Nunez Sonny Garbutt
Talk Outline
• Story time
• Pornographic video
• A bit more background and context
• Big Fish Vision of a holistic solution
• Big Fish Initiative progress and next steps
• Story ideas and contacts
Story time!
My 20 year pathway to
the Big Fish Initiative
Case Study: Belize
spawning aggregations
Fisher interviews reveal
20,000
Mean Landings (lbs)
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Month
Data summarized from interviews of 8 commercial boat owners, representing 23
fishers at Gladden Spit (Heyman, 1996).
Groupers and snappers
migrate to spawn
Fishermen know
where and when
Gladden Spit Spawning Aggregations
Gladden Spit serves as a
multi-species spawning
aggregation site
What is a spawning
aggregation?
• Grouping of conspecific fish, congregated for
reproduction
• Spawning aggregation indicators
• 3-fold increase in density
• Hydrated eggs
• Courtship and spawning behavior
• Elevated CPUE
• Continuum between “resident” and “transient”
aggregations
Spawning Waltz
National Cooperative Study in Belize
Heyman, 2011
Predict and Verify: Lighthouse Reef, Belize
Predicted spawning
aggregation site
20 species of snappers,
groupers and jacks
Mexico
• NGO COBI trained fishermen in aggregation monitoring
• Used standardized protocol to characterize, map and
monitor FSAs
• Documented multi species FSAs at reef promontories
• 5 sites protected at request of fishermen
San Juan
Mexico Mero y
Abadejo
Punta Xoxen
Cubera Snapper
Dog Snapper
Ocean Triggerfish
Niche Haibin
Mero
Mutton Snapper
Nassau Grouper Mutton Snapper
Yellowfin Grouper Horse-eye Jack
Punta
Pájaros
Cuba FSAs
Big Fish in Havana
November 2016
Go Pro cameras
Biological data collection
Georgetown Hole FSAs
Yellowedge grouper
Greater amberjack Snowy grouper
Blueline tilefish
scamp
Mutton snapper
scamp
Warsaw
scamp
grouper
South Atlantic Fisheries
Management Council took
action
• Amendment 36 to Snapper Grouper FMP
Establishes management framework to create new
Spawning Special Management Zones (summer
2017)
• Established network of 5 initial spawning SMZs,
including Georgetown Hole
Riley’s Hump
Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary
Mutton Snapper
Cubera Snapper
Success at Riley’s Hump
• 400% increase in Mutton snapper biomass
• Re-forming aggregations of Cubera snapper,
dog snapper, black grouper, and other species.
• More mutton being caught on eastern Florida.
What about the Gulf of
Mexico?
RESTORE Act Science Program supported:
• Literature survey of over 800 references
• Determined spawning seasons
• Mapped known sites
• Expanded monitoring protocol
• All data available at: http://geo.gcoos.org/restore/
Cooperative Monitoring Program for Spawning
Aggregations in the Gulf of Mexico:
An assessment of existing information, data gaps, and research priorities
C
Coastal multi-species FSAs
• Channel and jetties serve as multi-species spawning
habitat
A bit more
context and
background
Reef Fish larvae
Life Cycle
juveniles
eggs
adults spawning
aggregation
Marine connectivity
Western Atlantic snapper-grouper
complex transcends many jurisdictions
South Atlantic
FMC
Gulf of Mexico FMC Caribbean
FMC
Caribbean Nations
Nassau Grouper
Black Grouper
But less than 50% of US stocks
The good news
have been assessed; very few
about rebuilding in the wider Caribbean
(data from
assessed stocks)
Possible
Cabo
Sentinel Sites Corrientes
Cayo
Punta Allen Bretón
Punta Hererro
Gladden Spit
Cayman Crown
Sentinel Sites with proven and
New Technologies
Benefits of the Big Fish Initiative
A regional network of protected FSA sites will promote
sustainable and resilient multi-species fisheries and
resilient coastal economies