Differential habitat use of reef fishes on a shelf-edge reef off La Parguera, Puerto Rico

Off California, economically important nearshore reef fishes inhabit the shallow (<20 m) regions of offshore petroleum platforms on the San Pedro Shelf (SPS). It is essential to understand the degrees to which platforms support fish over time to indicate whether biological requirements (e.g., shelter, diet, reproduction) are being met. To determine the ecological importance of platforms as fish habitat, the site fidelity and depth/habitat use of adult cabezon, Scorpaenichthys marmoratus (Ayres, 1854), grass rockfish, Sebastes rastrelliger (Jordan and Gilbert, 1880), kelp rockfish, Sebastes atrovirens (Jordan and Gilbert, 1880), and California sheephead, Semicossyphus pulcher (Ayres, 1854) were investigated at platforms Edith (50 m bottom depth) and Eureka (212 m). A total of 63 fish were acoustically tagged and monitored for up to 578 d. Sixty-three percent of individuals were still present at platforms at the end of the study (long-term site fidelity), with 55 individuals detected a mean of 66.9% (SD 36.0%) of their total days at liberty (daily site fidelity). All species displayed a shift in seasonal depth use. The shallowest horizontal level, consisting of various horizontal beams at platform Edith (15 m depth) and Eureka (17 m), was the most utilized habitat by grass rockfish, kelp rockfish, and California sheephead. Cabezon at platform Eureka utilized depths (21–31 m) unassociated with horizontal levels, while at platform Edith they primarily utilized the second horizontal level (30 m). Decommissioning options that remove the shallowest 26 m of structure would eliminate the habitat most utilized by three of the four study species that dominate the nearshore reef fish communities at SPS platforms.

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Comparison of Satellite-Based Sea Surface Temperature to In Situ Observations Surrounding Coral Reefs in La Parguera, Puerto Rico

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering ◽

10.3390/jmse8060453 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 453

Author(s):

Andrea M. Gomez ◽

Kyle C. McDonald ◽

Karsten Shein ◽

Stephanie DeVries ◽

Roy A. Armstrong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Puerto Rico ◽

Coral Reefs ◽

Surface Temperature ◽

Sea Surface Temperature ◽

Thermal Stresses ◽

In Situ Measurements ◽

Sea Surface ◽

Strong Positive Correlation ◽

La Parguera

Coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth. In the last few decades, a combination of stressors has produced significant declines in reef expanse, with declining reef health attributed largely to thermal stresses. We investigated the correspondence between time-series satellite remote sensing-based sea surface temperature (SST) datasets and ocean temperature monitored in situ at depth in coral reefs near La Parguera, Puerto Rico. In situ temperature data were collected for Cayo Enrique and Cayo Mario, San Cristobal, and Margarita Reef. The three satellite-based SST datasets evaluated were NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch (CoralTemp), the UK Meteorological Office’s Operational SST and Sea Ice Analysis (OSTIA), and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (G1SST). All three satellite-based SST datasets assessed displayed a strong positive correlation (>0.91) with the in situ temperature measurements. However, all SST datasets underestimated the temperature, compared with the in situ measurements. A linear regression model using the SST datasets as the predictor for the in situ measurements produced an overall offset of ~1 °C for all three SST datasets. These results support the use of all three SST datasets, after offset correction, to represent the temperature regime at the depth of the corals in La Parguera, Puerto Rico.

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Length-based assessment of sustainability benchmarks for coral reef fishes in Puerto Rico

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892908005043 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 221-231 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

JERALD S. AULT ◽

STEVEN G. SMITH ◽

JIANGANG LUO ◽

MARK E. MONACO ◽

RICHARD S. APPELDOORN

Keyword(s):

Puerto Rico ◽

Coral Reef ◽

Size Composition ◽

Reef Fishes ◽

Coral Reef Fishes ◽

Reference Points ◽

Empirical Estimation ◽

Indicator Variable ◽

Ecological Importance ◽

Exploitation Status

SUMMARYThe sustainability of multispecies coral reef fisheries is a key conservation concern given their economic and ecological importance. Empirical estimation and numerical model analyses were conducted to evaluate exploitation status via resource reference points (or sustainability benchmarks) for coral reef fishes of the snapper-grouper complex in Puerto Rico. Mean size (L, in length) of animals in the exploited part of the population was estimated from fishery-dependent and fishery-independent size composition data and used as an indicator variable of exploitation rates. In application, fishing mortality rates estimated from L of various data sources were comparable. Of the 25 reef fish species assessed, 16 were below 30% spawning potential ratio (SPR), six were above 30% SPR, and three could not be reliably determined owing to low sample sizes. These findings indicate that a majority of snapper-grouper species in Puerto Rico are currently fished at unsustainable levels.

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