| Titre | Distribution and abundance of native marine species and an invasive predator on coral reefs of Eleuthera, the Bahamas |
| Télécharger | Téléchargement (publication entière) |
| Auteur | Davis, A C D |
| Source | Program and abstracts: 2017 GeoHab Conference, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada; par Todd, B J; Brown, C J; Lacharité, M; Gazzola, V; McCormack, E; Commission géologique du Canada, Dossier public 8295,
2017 p. 45, https://doi.org/10.4095/305845 (Accès ouvert) |
| Liens | GeoHab 2017
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| Année | 2017 |
| Éditeur | Ressources naturelles Canada |
| Réunion | 2017 GeoHab: Marine Geological and Biological Habitat Mapping; Dartmouth, NS; CA; mai 1-4, 2017 |
| Document | dossier public |
| Lang. | anglais |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.4095/305845 |
| Media | en ligne; numérique |
| Référence reliée | Cette publication est contenue dans Todd, B J;
Brown, C J; Lacharité, M; Gazzola, V; McCormack, E; (2017). Program and abstracts: 2017 GeoHab Conference, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, Commission géologique du Canada, Dossier public 8295 |
| Formats | pdf |
| Lat/Long OENS | -77.0000 -76.0000 26.0000 24.0000 |
| Sujets | techniques de cartographie; océanographie; milieux marins; études côtières; conservation; organismes marins; écologie marine; gestion des ressources; écosystèmes; récifs; Coraux; biologie; espèce
envahissante; ressources halieutiques; biologie marine; Nature et environnement |
| Programme | Géoscience de la gestion des océans, Géoscience en mer |
| Diffusé | 2017 09 26 |
| Résumé | (disponible en anglais seulement)
Ecosystem based management (EBM) is a holistic approach that uses species-specific data to guide management but also incorporates environmental factors such as
habitat and human-caused effects. Instead of focusing on the species of interest in isolation, EBM focuses on the system as a whole in order to create a comprehensive plan that ensures sustainability of the entire system. Though EBM is more common in
terrestrial systems, this it is becoming more popular in management of marine ecosystems.
The coral-reef ecosystem in the Bahamas has experienced severe stress in the last few decades. In addition to habitat degradation due to coral bleaching,
overfishing, and disease, a predatory fish species invaded the region in the early 2000s. The Indo-Pacific red lionfish (Pterois volitans) has added insult to an already injured system by reducing densities of a variety of reef fishes, which in some
cases leads to local extinction. If we wish to preserve diversity of coral-reef fishes, it is now more important than ever to have a comprehensive view of the local distributions and abundances of species of importance in order to manage and conserve
the ecosystem effectively.
Here I present distribution and abundance maps of the southern edge of Eleuthera Island, the Bahamas, for commercially and economically important native species, as well as the invasive red lionfish. Previous datasets
for this area are relatively depauperate and mostly limited to long-line catch and release of sharks, and time series data of large grouper for one or two isolated locations. By incorporating counts and observations from SCUBA surveys over multiple
years with satellite derived bathymetry data, we can create a more comprehensive picture of the macrofauna of the region that will aid the Bahamian government to manage and conserve species of interest.
Preliminary data indicate that vector
ruggedness measure (VRM), rugosity, slope of slope, and bathymetric position index (BPI) are important model variables for predicting lionfish distributions on reefs. Additionally, undersea observations suggest that lionfish learn to evade divers on
shallow reefs and may avoid areas that may have high human traffic, such as reefs with mooring balls or close to harbours. These patterns indicate that locations of popular dive sites and distance from shore may also be informative variables for
predicting the distribution of lionfish. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 305845 |
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