Supporting the management and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in Honduras    
 

   
Reef Fish & Fisheries
Overview

Utila has historically been a fishing community reliant on the local abundance of conch, lobster, snapper and grouper. With the advent of dive tourism in the early nineties, much of the island's economy has shifted away from fishing; however the influx of visitors to the island and increasing export markets has steadily raised the demand for fresh seafood.
By George Stoyle
Coney (Grouper) by George Stoyle
Local stocks of conch and lobster are now so severely depleted that fishermen have to go far from the island (to the "grand banks" on the Nicaraguan border) to find them. Snapper and grouper are also heavily over exploited to a point where fishermen now target the seasonal spawning aggregations to catch sufficient fish.

Not only is the imminent collapse of fish stocks a socio-economic problem for the island but the absence of so many important fish and invertebrates from the local reefs is likely to be having serious ecological repercussions. At UCME we are interested in the ecological impact of fishing as well as identifying socio-economic sustainable solutions to the current fisheries crisis. Current projects focus on Spawning aggregation management, the ecological role of conch and lobster and the decline of herbivorous fishes.
Spawning Aggregation Management
Spawning aggregations of snapper and grouper occur seasonally at predictable locations around the island. The current research is identifying the true extent of these previously un-monitored aggregations, assessing stock levels, distribution and migration patterns using in-water observations, videography and acoustic trackers. A social component to this project is working with local fishermen to assess their current economic reliance on spawning aggregations, to identify and assess the changes of fishing practices in the local area and find a community management solution that will sustain the aggregations but without economically crippling the people who rely on these resources.

The Ecological Role of Conch and Lobster
Working with scientists and students from the Zamorano Pan American School for Agriculture UCME is investigating the ability of conch and lobster to clean reef systems of decomposing matter and potentially harmful bacteria including bacteria from human effluent. This original research will further our understanding of just how important these commercial species are to overall coral health and the potential consequneces of detrital build up in reef systems.

Working with the local fishermen we are also investigating the feasibility and mechanics of ranching conch and lobster on sea grass beds to increase their overall abundance and as an alternative livelihood scheme for the community.

The Decline of Herbivorous Fish

Parrotfishes and surgeon fishes are not meant to be commercially important fish species in the islands. However the abundance of these important algae eating fishes is reported to be declining. Our research aims to ascertain why they are disappearing from local reefs; whether it is a result of bi-catch from fishing nets or if a part of their life cycle is being disrupted. One potential reason could be that local pollution or habitat destruction is hindering juvenile stages from reaching adulthood and studies are combing assessments of environmental parameters with population distribution investigations to directly investigate these hypotheses.

Striped Parrotfish by George Stoyle
 
 
Utila Centre for Marine Ecology, East Harbour, Utila, Honduras | | +5044253026