#Status of Coral Reefs 2002 - International Coral Reef Action Network

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Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2002 fishing at night, and the use of poisons (chlorine) to catch fish. All of these activities are illegal, but there is zero law enforcement capacity. Severe over-fishing of the queen conch has seriously threatened stocks, and aquarium fishing is also increasing. Jamaica Inshore fishery activity is carried out on the island shelf and the nine adjacent banks >64- km from the mainland. The south shelf has a maximum width of approximately 24km, while the north coastal shelf is much narrower and does not exceed 1.5km in width at any point. The island shelf is approximately 1,853km 2 in area. Most of the fishery is artisanal. There were about 20,000 fishermen in 1997, with a total landing of 7,747 tonnes valued at US$43 million. Most of the catch comes from the south coast, and coral reef fishes form the highest proportion of the catch (4,476 tonnes in 1997). Most fish are caught in Z-shaped Antillean fish pots, along with gill and seine nets, hook and line and spear guns. There has been illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing by outsiders, particularly for conch, on the offshore fishing grounds such as the Pedro Bank. The Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Jamaican coastguard, have seized vessels and arrested offending fishermen to deter this poaching. Overfishing has been evident on Jamaican reefs for many years, with the target species like snappers and groupers being scarce and small. AGRRA surveys of the north coast in August 2000 showed that these species were found in densities from 0.1-0.3 per 100m 2 for snappers and 0.6-1.4 for groupers. These findings were confirmed in late 2001 by the Centre for Marine Sciences and the Coastal Water Improvement Project (CWIP - USAID/GOJ) in catches in the Ocho Rios Marine Park. Low-value species dominated the catch, with nearly half the catch made up of parrotfish (36%) and surgeonfish (12%), regarded elsewhere in the Caribbean as ‘trash’ fish. Most of the fish caught were well below maximum size (growth overfishing) and close to the size at maturity (risking recruitment overfishing: there are few large snapper and grouper on Jamaican reefs). Suggestions for better management of the fishery include phasing out of traps with small mesh sizes, reducing the total number of traps and enforcing ‘no-take’ zones in protected areas. Turks and Caicos Islands These reefs are presently in a relatively healthy state; there is low exploitation of reef fishes, fishing pressure on herbivores is almost non-existent, and nutrient pollution is low. Lobster and conch fisheries generate the only national exports with most of the product going to the USA. There were 6 processing plants for 727,000kg of conch and 410,000kg of lobster in 2001-2002. Conch is managed through a quota and a closed season, and all exports must have a CITES permit from the Department of Environment. Lobster is managed through a closed season. Annual Queen conch landings are quite variable and their size has decreased over time. Now most come from more distant and deeper waters, suggesting that stocks are declining. New fisheries legislation has been enacted to control harvest rates to conserve stocks by regulating size limits, equipment used, and closed seasons as well as issuing fishery licenses and export quotas. There are concerns over poaching by foreign (mostly from Haiti and Dominican Republic) fishermen using illegal methods. Declines in lobster and conch populations are causing some fishermen to turn to reef fish as an alternative resource, which may change the 286
Status of Coral Reefs in the Northern Caribbean and Atlantic Node of the GCRMN fishery situation. There are no minimum or maximum size limits or quotas for fishes, but landings are small and mostly consumed locally. There are 4 trap boats fishing for lobster and fishes, and only 2 boats operating in deep water; all other fishing is done by free diving from small boats. Hotels and restaurants are increasing the local demand, and AGRRA surveys show high fish diversity with no differences in population or abundance inside or outside the reserves. Grouper were abundant and relatively large in size. There is no evidence of over-fishing throughout the islands. ANTHROPOGENIC THREATS TO CORAL REEF BIODIVERSITY In the Bahamas, the predominant stresses to corals are sewage runoff and tourism impacts such as diver damage to corals and destruction of coastal habitats for hotel and marina development. San Salvador Island on the Great Bahama Bank is being damaged through sport diving, subsistence and sport fishing, and increased tourism and development. More than 4 million tourists visited the Bahamas in 2000 and tourism provides an estimated 60% of GDP and employs approximately 50% of the Bahamian workforce. Most of Bahamas’ population of 350,000 is in Nassau, Marsh Harbour and Freeport, predominantly associated with the tourist industry. This has resulted in rapid degradation of these coastal waters and coastal habitat destruction e.g. mangroves are often cleared for development. There is also over-exploitation of fishes, lobsters, conch and other target species. Bermuda has one of the highest population densities in the world e.g. 63,500 in 58km 2 . Virtually all available land has been developed and the coral reefs are under threat from coastal development, contaminated run-off, sewage and industrial wastes. The inshore lagoons receive nutrients from agriculture and sewage run-off and groundwater seepage. Sewage pollution is limited, however, by good flushing rates. The tourism industry accounts for about 28% of GDP, with the reefs a focus for diving tourists. There is some damage through poor diving practices, and anchor damage in the best locations. The resident population of the Cayman Islands is about 37,000, but total tourist arrivals exceed 1.4 million each year, accounting for about 70% of GDP. Rapid tourism growth is resulting in dredging of wetlands, but the 2 outer islands have escaped much of this, due to their remote location. Tourism-related developments have resulted in damage to the reefs including habitat destruction, increased suspended sediment loads from dredging and mangrove removal, sewage, oil pollution, and destruction by cruise ship anchors and anchor chains. In Cuba, about half of the shelf edge reefs are separated from the land by broad shallow lagoons and this protects the reefs and cays from most of the anthropogenic pressures. Threats to reefs of the southern archipelagos are currently low, however, tourism is growing rapidly with 1.8 million visitors in 2001, generating $US1.9 billion in gross revenues. While tourism expenditures generate considerable foreign exchange, the associated development is causing environmental damage along the coast, including prime habitats for endangered species. In addition to habitat destruction, there is increased pollution from sewage, agricultural run-off and chemical contamination of reefs near high population centers (Cuba’s resident population is approximately 11.2 million). 287
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Status of Coral Reefs of the World:
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FOREWORD Our two governments have r
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CONTENTS Countries, States and Terr
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COUNTRIES, STATES AND TERRITORIES A
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Countries, States and Territories S
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INTRODUCTION We are pleased to endo
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Introduction Some of the larger fou
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Introduction Coral reefs are coming
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CLIVE WILKINSON A
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Executive Summary This report, howe
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Executive Summary GLOBAL AND REGION
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Executive Summary There is clear ev
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Executive Summary Key sites chosen
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Executive Summary • Europa and Sc
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Executive Summary CORAL REEF TARGET
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Executive Summary ICRI OPERATING UN
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Executive Summary COLLAPSE OF CORAL
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Executive Summary Prognosis for the
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Executive Summary concern is an out
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Executive Summary Southern Tropical
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Executive Summary Achievements in E
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7. STATUS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA CORAL R
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Status of Southeast Asia Coral Reef
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8. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN EAST AN
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Status of Coral Reefs in East and N
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9. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS OF AUSTRAL
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Status of Coral Reefs of Australasi
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10. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN THE SO
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Status of Coral Reefs in the Southw
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12. STATUS OF THE CORAL REEFS IN MI
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Status of the Coral Reefs in Micron
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Status of Coral Reefs in the Easter
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18. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN SOUTHE
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Status of Coral Reefs in Southern T
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19. SPONSORING ORGANISATIONS, CORAL
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Sponsoring Organisations, Coral Ree
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#Status of Coral Reefs 2002 - International Coral Reef Action Network

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