228
Y. Sadovy de Mitcheson and B. Erisman
Table 8.1
Commercial examples of fi sheries on aggregating species fi shed at aggregations – reef fi shes and other examples
Species (common
and latin) names
Family
Gear types
Country/Region
Fishery history, management, and conservation
status
References
Nassau grouper
Epinephelus
striatus
Epinephelidae Handline, longline,
fi sh traps,
speargun, gillnet
Caribbean-wide One third of aggregations have been eliminated
or reduced to negligible numbers.
Disappearances have been documented in the
Bahamas, Florida USA, Puerto Rico, US
Virgin Islands, Honduras, Cuba, Belize,
and Mexico
Sadovy and Eklund
(
1999 ) , Chap. 12.6
Nassau grouper
Epinephelus
striatus
Epinephelidae Handlines,
spearguns,
gill nets
Mahahual,
Quintana
Roo, Mexico
Aggregations of up to 15,000 fi sh formed each
year at the same site, but due to increased
fi shing pressure in the 1990s, aggregations
have not formed since 1996. Management not
enforced
Aguilar-Perera ( 2007 ) ,
Chap. 12.6
Nassau grouper
Epinephelus
striatus
Epinephelidae Fish traps
Cuba
Targeted almost exclusively during aggregation
periods; 20 of 21 historical aggregation sites
no longer form. Management measures
increasing but recovery not recorded
Claro et al. ( 2009 ) ,
Chap. 12.6
Nassau grouper
Epinephelus
striatus
Epinephelidae Handline, speargun,
fi sh traps
Belize
Eighty percent decline in last 25 years (15,000
down to 3,000 fi sh) in aggregation size at
Glover’s Reef; Only 2 of 9 known aggregation
sites remained by 2001; reduced from 30,000
to 1-5,000 fi sh. All known aggregation sites
underwent dramatic declines in the abundance
of spawning fi sh over the last 2 decades.
Fishing particularly intense on spawning
aggregations. Current aggregation protection
does not appear to be restoring this species and
a minimum capture size was recently
introduced
Sala et al. ( 2001 ) ,
Carter et al.
( 1994 ) , Heyman
and Requena
( 2002 ) , Janet
Gibson 2010,
Chap. 12.6
Y. Sadovy de Mitcheson and B. Erisman
Table 8.1
Commercial examples of fi sheries on aggregating species fi shed at aggregations – reef fi shes and other examples
Species (common
and latin) names
Family
Gear types
Country/Region
Fishery history, management, and conservation
status
References
Nassau grouper
Epinephelus
striatus
Epinephelidae Handline, longline,
fi sh traps,
speargun, gillnet
Caribbean-wide One third of aggregations have been eliminated
or reduced to negligible numbers.
Disappearances have been documented in the
Bahamas, Florida USA, Puerto Rico, US
Virgin Islands, Honduras, Cuba, Belize,
and Mexico
Sadovy and Eklund
(
1999 ) , Chap. 12.6
Nassau grouper
Epinephelus
striatus
Epinephelidae Handlines,
spearguns,
gill nets
Mahahual,
Quintana
Roo, Mexico
Aggregations of up to 15,000 fi sh formed each
year at the same site, but due to increased
fi shing pressure in the 1990s, aggregations
have not formed since 1996. Management not
enforced
Aguilar-Perera ( 2007 ) ,
Chap. 12.6
Nassau grouper
Epinephelus
striatus
Epinephelidae Fish traps
Cuba
Targeted almost exclusively during aggregation
periods; 20 of 21 historical aggregation sites
no longer form. Management measures
increasing but recovery not recorded
Claro et al. ( 2009 ) ,
Chap. 12.6
Nassau grouper
Epinephelus
striatus
Epinephelidae Handline, speargun,
fi sh traps
Belize
Eighty percent decline in last 25 years (15,000
down to 3,000 fi sh) in aggregation size at
Glover’s Reef; Only 2 of 9 known aggregation
sites remained by 2001; reduced from 30,000
to 1-5,000 fi sh. All known aggregation sites
underwent dramatic declines in the abundance
of spawning fi sh over the last 2 decades.
Fishing particularly intense on spawning
aggregations. Current aggregation protection
does not appear to be restoring this species and
a minimum capture size was recently
introduced
Sala et al. ( 2001 ) ,
Carter et al.
( 1994 ) , Heyman
and Requena
( 2002 ) , Janet
Gibson 2010,
Chap. 12.6