Evidence for long‐term site fidelity of snapper (Pagrus auratus) within a marine reserve

Increases in the density of exploited species on unfished reefs logically implies that some individuals are at least temporarily resident, or show fidelity to a particular area. We tagged snapper (Pagrus auratus (Bloch & Schneider 1801)) in the Leigh Marine Reserve, New Zealand using visible implant fluorescent elastomer tags, recoverable by diver visual sightings without the need to recapture the fish. Batch tagging of snapper (n = 907) was done during an angling survey in June and December 1996, and individually coded tags were implanted by divers (n = 117) in January 1999. Snapper tagged during both programmes were recovered on irregular intervals from 1997 to 2000. There were 71 recoveries of batch tags within 500 m of their tagging sites, and these recoveries were still being made >3 years after tagging: Of individually coded fish, 49 (42%) were seen, sometimes repeatedly over several months, close to their respective tagging sites. These observations included snapper as small as 23 cm fork length, contradicting the commonly held impression that only large snapper take up long‐term residency on reefs. This preliminary evidence suggests that some snapper exhibit site fidelity to areas only a few hundred metres wide, and in the absence of fishing may occupy the same area for years.     

Long‐term changes in hydroid (Cnidaria,Hydrozoa) assemblages: effect of Mediterranean warming?

Marine hydroids are markedly seasonal in temperate seas, being extremely sensitive to climatic changes disrupting seasonal patterns. Modifications in the composition, seasonality, bathymetric distribution and reproductive period of hydroid assemblages are useful to evaluate the influence of global warming on the marine ecosystem. The hydroids on the rocky cliff of the Portofino Promontory (Ligurian Sea, Italy) were carefully studied between 1976 and 1983; in particular, in 1980 the study was carried out along a vertical transect. The hydroids were sampled again throughout 2004, with the same techniques and along the same transect. Species diversity decreased slightly in the 2004 survey. Some species present in 1980 had disappeared in 2004, but other species with southern affinity, never recorded from the area, became abundant in 2004. Species that were present in summer in the first period were also present in winter in the second one. Furthermore, shallow summer species widened their bathymetric distribution, reaching deeper levels. These data strongly suggest that the Portofino hydroid assemblage reacted to the water temperature increase found in the Mediterranean Sea.     

Deposit feeding ecology of Amphibola crenata I. Long‐term effects of deposit feeding on sediment micro‐organisms

Short‐term effects of deposit feeding on benthic micro‐organisms are known from several marine environments, but longer‐term influences of deposit feeders have not been extensively investigated. The long‐term microbial response to deposit feeding by the gastropod Amphibola crenata was monitored in a 10‐month field study where deposit feeding intensity was controlled in artificial enclosures. The presence of the snail resulted in a minor decrease in bacterial numbers and a slight increase in heterotrophic activity relative to bacterial cell numbers. This effect may have been the long‐term signature of a previously reported pulse in bacterial production during the recolonisation of Amphibola faeces. Normal snail density had a strong inhibitory effect on primary productivity by the benthic microalgae, reducing CO₂ fixation to 29–47% of levels that could be attained when snails were excluded. Variations in the effect of deposit feeding on micro‐organisms over the experimental period suggest that it may be modified by seasonal factors acting on benthic communities. In a similar interaction of influences, seasonal changes in microbial biomass and activity appeared to vary with snail density.     

Relationship between long‐term changes in algal community structure and herbivore diet at the Three Kings Islands,New Zealand

We examined temporal changes at the Three Kings Islands, New Zealand in 1993 and 2002 in the diet of the endemic herbivorous fish Odax cyanoallix (Family Labridae) and in habitat‐forming macroalgae, and compared these with published accounts from 1979. The diet of O. cyanoallix predominantly comprised the laminarian Ecklonia radiata in 1993, and the fucoids Sargassum johnsonii and Landsburgia quercifolia in 2002. In depths <10 m, the endemic fucoid S. johnsonii was dominant in 1979 and 2002 and absent in 1993. E. radiata was absent in 1979, abundant in 1993, and rare in 2002. A period of significantly lower sea‐surface temperatures (SST) at the Three Kings Islands in 1990–95 corresponded to an unusually long El Niño event. The low SST may have resulted in the failure of S. johnsonii to grow and/or recruit during the El Niño event, leading to the observed changes. This study demonstrates variability in fucoid and laminarian assemblages over large time scales that are reflected in diet shifts in a species of herbivorous fish.     

Long‐term trends in the recreational lobster fishery of Florida,United States: Landings,effort, and implications for management

In Florida, United States, the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, supports an important commercial fishery and also perhaps the most intensive recreational fishery of any lobster species, with sales of recreational lobster fishing permits exceeding 100 000 annually. For the past decade, we have used mail surveys of recreational lobster license holders to estimate spatially explicit landings and fishing effort when recreational fishers are most active—during the state's “Special Two‐Day Sport Season”, which takes place just before the opening of the commercial season, and during the first month of the regular recreational season, which coincides with the commercial season. From 1993 through 2002, fishing effort during the Special Two‐Day Sport Season has ranged from 60 000 to 112 000 person‐days, and landings have ranged from c. 112 to 255t. Both fishing effort and landings have varied without trend. Fishing effort during the regular season over the same period has ranged from 261 000 to 514 000 person‐days, and landings have ranged from 434 to 825 t. Fishing effort has shown a marginally statistically significant decreasing trend, the result of a progressive decrease in effort since 1999. The largest proportion of both fishing effort and landings was concentrated along the south‐east coast. Despite the recent decrease in landings, the proportion of total landings made by the recreational fishery has increased. From 1993 through 1998, the fishery was responsible for c. 30% of commercial landings; by 2001, that percentage increased to nearly 40%. Such a shift in landings away from the commercial trap fishery toward the recreational fishery was recognised as a potential but unintended effect of the ongoing management plan of restricting effort in the commercial trap fishery. Our 2001 surveys revealed that recreational lobster fishers spent more on a person‐day basis than the general visitor to the Florida Keys did, but less than those visitors using the region's coral reefs. Consequently, managers must establish management strategies that allow the coexistence of this resource's user groups and also incorporate the social and environmental concerns of nonuser groups.