Management Plan - Glover's Reef Marine Reserve

Seasonal Closure Zone
This zone encompasses the Nassau grouper
spawning bank located on the northeast corner of
the atoll (Figure 57). It covers an area of 1,550 ha,
including the channel in the reef and extending out
to the deep water of the fore reef and drop off. This
zone overlaps with the more recent Spawning
Aggregation Site.
Objectives
Glovers Reef Marine Reserve – Management Plan
To provide protection for the population of
Figure 57: Seasonal Closure Zone
spawning Nassau groupers during their
reproductive season
To monitor the recovery of the spawning population of groupers
Use and Entry
• The zone is closed to fishing from the 1 st December to the 1 st March. With the recent
passing of the spawning site protective legislation (SI 161 / 2003), an area more closely
linked to this spawning aggregation site has been closed to all fishing year round, and
overlaps with the Seasonal Cleasure Zone.
Wilderness Zone
This zone, equivalent to a “Preservation Zone”, is the smallest of the zones, encompassing an
area of only 270 ha. It is located within the
Conservation Zone, just south of Middle Caye, lying
Wilderness Zone
along the southeastern reef tract (Figure 47).
Objectives
To preserve at least a small representative
area free of disturbance from all activities
To have an undisturbed area to be used as
a baseline for research and monitoring
purposes
Use and Entry
Seasonal Closure Zone
Figure 58: Wilderness Zone
• No activities are permitted within this zone and it is closed to visitors except under
special permission.
• No boats are permitted to travel in the zone except in cases of emergency.
Wildtracks / Wildlife Conservation Society, 2007 104