ADAPTIVE COMMUNITY-BASED MANAGEMENT OF A MARINE RESERVE NETWORK IN HAWAI’I.
Brian Tissot, William Walsh, Leon Hallacher. Program in Environmental Science and Regional Planning, Washington State University, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave., Vancouver, WA 98686 USA Email tissot@vancouver.wsu.edu
Monitoring programs often suffer from weak links to effective management strategies. In Hawai’i, aquarium collecting on reef fish populations has caused multiple-use conflicts between collectors and other ocean users. Using a control-impact design we determined that 8 species targeted by collectors were significantly less abundance at impact relative to control areas. In response to widespread perceptions of declines in reef fishes and community pressure the state legislature passed a bill in 1998 to establish Fish Replenishment Areas (FRAs), reserves closed to aquarium collecting along 30% of the west Hawai’i coastline. Based on scientific input, a network of 9 FRAs was proposed by a community-based group, the West Hawai’i Fishery Council. In 1998 we began monitoring 23 study sites to evaluate changes in abundance and community structure as the reserve system is implemented. After 5 years, our goal is to maximize fishery production by modifying the design of the network based upon community input and our findings.
Presented at the 9th International Coral Reef Symposium Bali, Indonesia, October 23-27, 2000.
