Author Type

Faculty

Document Type

Report

Abstract

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) and Department of Commerce through the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management Act have established eight deepwater Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), five deepwater Coral Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (CHAPCs), and the Oculina Coral HAPC along the outer continental shelf off the southeastern U.S. This project proposed to document and characterize the benthic habitat, benthic sessile biota, and fish populations within some of these protected areas and within the jurisdiction of the SAFMC. In February 2009, the SAFMC implemented eight Type II MPAs between Cape Hatteras, NC and the Florida Keys to protect seven species of the deepwater snapper-grouper complex. The closures, however, will provide ecosystem-level benefits to the entire complex as well as protect the shelf-edge reef habitat they utilize. These consist of five species of grouper: snowy grouper (Hyporthodus niveatus), yellowedge grouper (H. flavolimbatus), warsaw grouper (H. nigritus), misty grouper (H. mystacinus) and speckled hind (Epinephelus. drummondhayi), and two species of tilefish: golden tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) and blueline tilefish (Caulolatilus microps). The shelf-edge MPAs are known to contain reef habitat exploited by these five species of grouper as well as deepwater soft bottom habitat used by the two tilefish species. These species are considered to be at risk due to currently low stock densities and to life history characteristics which subject them to substantial fishing mortality. Bottom-tending fishing gear has been shown to have deleterious effects upon reefs and is now prohibited in the MPAs. These sites were designated by the Council to protect spawning grounds of reef fish. As such, decisions to create future area closures will be based upon the efficacy of these areas and the lessons learned during their implementation. Additionally, the MPAs contain extensive areas infested with the invasive lionfish, whose population continues to rapidly expand. Monitoring will assist in evaluating the effects of this invasion on the ecosystem. Area closures constitute a politically charged issue that is unlikely to retain support without evidence indicating increases in the target species. This project benefits coral reef ecosystems directly by improving our understanding of the impact of fishing activities on both fish and invertebrate species. In addition, five Spawning Special Management Zones (SMZ) were established to identify and protect spawning sites/aggregations for snapper grouper species. We surveyed two of them (Devil’s Hole SMZ and Cape Lookout SMZ) during these cruises. This monitoring program for the MPAs will ensure the Council remains well informed of changes within reef fish populations and coral habitats associated with these MPAs. NOAA NMFS conducted preliminary examinations of five of these potential MPA sites in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Post-closure data were also collected in 2009, 2010, and 2012 – 2019. The MPAs afforded the opportunity to obviate the criticisms of comparing MPAs with adjacent open-to fishing areas by examining the MPAs for four years prior to the closures. Since monitoring began in 2004, this project has produced population density estimates of targeted reef fish species within the boundaries of five of the eight MPAs and adjacent control areas, before and after closure.

Publication Date

2020

Comments

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Technical Report number 194.

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