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

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Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2002 user fee systems were found to be appropriate or effective only in areas where there is a high level of water-based tourism use. The issue of user fees continues to be a major issue delaying the start up and continuation of effective management in MPAs in Cuba, The Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Turks and Caicos, where management capacity is relatively high, but the critical limiting factor is funding. Thus most of the declared and proposed MPAs remain essentially ‘paper parks’. Bahamas The Bahamas National Trust, established in 1959 as a statutory, non-governmental, selffunded organisation, manages the system of national parks and reserves in the Bahamas. Evidence that the reserves are working is seen in the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park notake fisheries replenishment area, which supports a 31 times greater concentration of conch than outside the park. Spillover effects have been shown with the park providing several million conchs per year to outside areas. Grouper tagged in the park have been caught as far as 240km away, and tagged lobsters replenish Cat Island, which is 110km away. These successes encouraged the Bahamas Government in 2000 to increase the size of protected areas by 20%, with the boundaries extending seaward to 200m. The Government also increased the number of no-take reserves to 6, covering roughly 4% (800 km 2 ) of the country’s marine environment, with the creation of 5 new no-take areas (North Bimini, the Berry Islands, South Eleuthera, the Exuma Cays, and the Northern Abaco Cays). In April 2002, 10 new national parks (total 22) were established doubling the national park system and including large expanses of wetlands, barrier reefs, forests, critical breeding and nesting sites, and sites important to science and recreation. Bermuda Bermuda has some of the oldest MPAs (established since 1966), and protection and conservation of resources are relatively strong, particularly of coral reefs and fish resources. A study on the effect of MPAs on reef fish populations will conclude later this year. The establishment of 29 new protected areas (in open water) in 2000, along with the original MPAs, essentially encompasses the island chain. The following areas are included: Cristobal Colon, North East Breaker, Taunten, Aristo, Mills Breaker, Pelinaion & Rita Zovetto. A new Biodiversity initiative will hopefully result in further research on reefs; restructuring of the Ministry of the Environment will help drive this project forward. A large-scale digital reef map is being created by the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo that will form the basis of a reef GIS. New research on genomics in the reef and ecotoxicology of reef organisms is developing at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research. Following concerns on the decline of fisheries, the government created 3 seasonally protected and 29 permanently protected fisheries reserves in the 1970s. In 1990, the government banned commercial fish traps, but by then the Nassau grouper was commercially extinct in their waters. All fish traps are now abolished and there is greater awareness of the consequences of over fishing, such that the reef fisheries have a good chance of recovery. The Ministry of the Environment sets minimum sizes for allowable species with the aim of preserving younger fish stocks. Some species have been added to the Protected Species Order and cannot be taken at all. They include the gag grouper (fine scale), Nassau grouper, red grouper, deer hamlet, green hamlet, mutton hamlet, and the 290
Status of Coral Reefs in the Northern Caribbean and Atlantic Node of the GCRMN tiger rockfish. Fishermen are allowed to take only one black or monkey rockfish a day and a daily bag limit of 30 fish a day has been set for silk snappers, for sport fishermen only. Changes to fish measurements restrict catches to larger, more mature fish which have had a chance to breed. These, with their minimum new sizes for allowable catches, are the black rockfish (30 inches); monkey rockfish (20 inches); red hind (14 inches); hog fish (14 inches); yellowtail snapper (12 inches); and silk snapper (10 inches). Cayman Islands Marine conservation laws are strict. The law designates four special areas for protection: marine park zones, replenishment zones, environmental zones, and no-diving zones. In marine park zones it is illegal to take any marine life, alive or dead, except by line fishing from the shore or beyond the drop-off. Anchoring is permitted only at fixed moorings installed by the Department of Environment’s Protection and Conservation unit. A comprehensive reef management program has been implemented and 257 permanent mooring buoys established throughout the 3 islands to prevent anchor damage and spread divers into less-frequented areas. Standards have been set for watersports operators, and snorkelling is now promoted more heavily to counter the negative effects of diving. Reefs in marine park and replenishment zone areas are protected from fish traps, spearguns, anchoring, and line fishing although line fishing from shore and beyond the drop-off (shelf edge) is allowed. Lobster and conch are protected in the replenishment zones. Spear guns, pole spears, fish traps, and fish nets are also prohibited in these regions; only line fishing is allowed. Anchoring is permitted. Environmental zones receive some of the strictest protection under the law. Here, no marine life may be taken or disturbed; anchoring is prohibited, as are all activities in the water. Part of the North Sound on Grand Cayman is covered by these stringent rules in order to protect breeding areas for fish and other marine life. No-diving zones were created to protect the cultural heritage as well as the environment of the Cayman Islands. This designation marks a region as off-limits for scuba diving to protect the waters for traditional Cayman fishing. These special zones have been established off the north coast of Grand Cayman. Cuba There is increasing government will to protect, assess and monitor coral reefs despite current economic constraints. The Government passed a new decree establishing a legal framework for a National System of Protected Areas in 1999, including different protected area management categories, establishment and protection measures, and regulation of permissible activities. Extensive coral reef habitats are included in the new MPAs, fishery reserves, and no-take areas were declared and proposed. There is expertise for management and monitoring, but not enough funding for effective management and enforcement of legislation. Mooring buoys have been deployed at popular dive sites but many more are needed. 291
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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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13. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN THE HA
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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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