Can dynamite-blasted reefs recover? A novel, low-tech approach to stimulating natural recovery in fish and coral populations

Throughout Southeast Asia, blast fishing creates persistent rubble fields with low coral cover and depauperate fish communities. We stabilized a 20-year-old rubble field in a Marine Protected Area in the Philippines, using plastic mesh and rock piles in replicated 17.5m(2) plots, thereby increasing topographic complexity, fish habitat, and recruitment substrate surface area. Multivariate analysis revealed fish community shifts within the rehabilitated area from that characteristic of rubble fields to one similar to the adjacent healthy reef within three years, as measured by changes in fish abundance and body size. Coral recruitment and percent cover increased over time, with 63.5% recruit survivorship within plots, compared with 6% on rubble. Our low-cost approach created a stable substrate favoring natural recovery processes. Both rehabilitation and the elimination of poaching were integral to success, emphasizing the synergism between the two and the need to incorporate both when considering mitigation.     

Chemical contamination of a coral reef by the grounding of a cruise ship in Bermuda

Bulk metal analyses of surficial sediments collected around the Norwegian Crown cruise ship grounding site in Bermuda indicated significant but localized contamination of reef sediments by copper and zinc, caused by the stripping of the tri-butyltin (TBT)-free antifouling (AF) paint (Intersmooth 460) from the underside of the hull. Highest copper and zinc values were found in heavily compacted and red-pigmented sediments inside the impact scar and were comparable to levels found close to slip ways of local boat yards where AF paints from hull stripping and cleaning processes are washed into the sea. The re-distribution of AF contaminated sediments by storms and deposition on nearby reefs constitutes a significant ecological risk that could delay recovery processes and reduce the effectiveness of remediation efforts. Whilst the ecotoxicological effects of AF paint particles interspersed with sediment is unknown, and in need of further study, it is argued that the significance of AF paint contamination of grounding sites has been overlooked.     

砾石堤坝和多孔方型鱼礁消浪护滩的试验研究——以北戴河西海滩为例

本文通过物理模型试验,研究了砾石堤坝、多孔方型鱼礁、堤坝+鱼礁等不同防护措施对岸滩的保护作用。通过测量不同防护措施的波浪透射系数、输沙率、水下坡度角及床面地形变化,并与无防护措施的工况进行对比,结果发现：不同试验条件下堤坝+鱼礁工况的透射系数仅为0.21～0.36,对波浪具有显著的消减作用;同一水位不同防护措施下的输沙率由大变小依次为：堤坝、堤坝+鱼礁、无工程、鱼礁;堤坝迎浪面的水下坡度角随极限波高呈现先增大、后减小的趋势,堤坝工况的水下坡度角约是堤坝+鱼礁工况的2～4倍;对于近岸的地形恢复,堤坝+鱼礁工况的效果比较明显,且对岸滩附近的侵蚀较少。堤坝+鱼礁的防护措施可明显减小波浪的透射系数,增加向岸输沙率,对恢复近岸地形、保护岸滩有显著作用。     

南沙珊瑚礁区波纹钩鳞鲀(Balistapus undulatus)食性和营养级分析

波纹钩鳞鲀(Balistapus undulatus)是一种在热带珊瑚礁海域中广泛分布的杂食性鱼类, 研究其自然环境中的食物组成有助于了解其食物来源及其在生态系统中的功能地位。但目前的认识仅限于他们是珊瑚礁区的海胆捕食者, 对其准确的食物组成和生态功能定位尚不清晰。本研究于2017年夏季在南沙珊瑚礁区采集了波纹钩鳞鲀样品, 通过特异性引物扩增波纹钩鳞鲀消化道中的线粒体细胞色素C氧化酶亚基Ⅰ(COⅠ)基因, 以高通量测序技术分析了其现场食物组成, 并测定了碳、氮稳定同位素以分析其营养级。研究结果显示, 波纹钩鳞鲀摄食的食物种类有13种, 分属于节肢动物门(Arthropoda)、脊索动物门(Chordata)和环节动物门(Annelida)。其中最主要的食物来源是节肢动物门扇蟹科的蟹类, 如滑面蟹(Etisus sp.)、Luniella pubescens、皱纹花瓣蟹(Liomera rugata)等, 分别占61.8%、6.7%和1.8%。鱼类也有一定的贡献, 占总食物序列的23.5%。同位素结果显示其营养级为3.71±0.07, 与分子检测的结果相符。研究结果表明波纹钩鳞鲀的主要食物是小型甲壳类动物以及植食性鹦嘴鱼, 这拓展了以往对波纹钩鳞鲀所扮演生态角色的认识。     

象山港人工鱼礁投放对大型底栖动物群落结构的影响

为探明人工鱼礁生境中底栖生物群落结构的组成情况,评估人工鱼礁投放的生态修复效果,根据2006—2007年4季象山港全港区以及2010年4季人工鱼礁区和邻近区的调查资料,对比分析了3个不同区域大型底栖动物群落的差异。共鉴定出大型底栖动物116种,其中多毛类46种,软体动物35种,甲壳类18种,棘皮动物6种,其他类11种,各区域大型底栖动物的主要类群均为多毛类和软体动物。大型底栖动物密度、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数和Margalef丰富度指数表现为邻近区鱼礁区全港区,生物量为鱼礁区邻近区全港区。双因子方差分析结果表明:区域间,大型底栖动物种类数、密度、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、Pielou均匀度指数和Margalef丰富度指数均存在显著性差异,生物量无显著性差异;季节间,大型底栖动物种类数和密度存在显著性差异,其余参数均无显著性差异。非度量多维尺度排序分析结果显示,鱼礁区和邻近区的大型底栖动物群落相似度较高,而与全港区的相似度较低。相似性百分比进一步揭示,鱼礁区和邻近区大型底栖动物群落间的平均非相似性为77.19%,不倒翁虫(Sternaspis scutata)为造成群落间差异的重要贡献物种;鱼礁区和全港区群落间的平均非相似性高达91.34%,不倒翁虫、薄云母蛤(Yoldia similis)、纵肋织纹螺(Nassarius variciferus)和洼颚倍棘蛇尾(Amphioplus depressus)为重要贡献物种;邻近区和全港区大型底栖动物群落间的平均非相似性也高达91.47%,不倒翁虫、薄片镜蛤(Dosinia laminata)和薄云母蛤为重要贡献物种。双因素相似性分析结果表明,人工鱼礁区、邻近区和全港区大型底栖动物群落季节间存在显著性差异,但区域间无显著性差异。不同区域两两间检验结果表明,人工鱼礁区和全港区的大型底栖动物群落存在显著性差异,人工鱼礁区和邻近区以及邻近区和全港区均无显著性差异。研究结果表明,象山港白石山群岛海域人工鱼礁的投放对大型底栖动物群落结构影响显著,但影响范围局限于人工鱼礁区附近。     

What makes a “successful” marine protected area? The unique context of Hawaii′s fish replenishment areas

In 1998, in order to combat the degradation of yellow tang populations on the west coast of Hawaii Island, fish replenishment areas (FRAs) were established prohibiting aquarium fishing along more than thirty percent of the coastline. Unlike other marine management approaches in Hawaii, which have largely been controversial, fraught with confusion over regulations, inadequately enforced, and lacking public support, these FRAs have been lauded as a marine conservation success, with wide-ranging support and evidence of rapid replenishment of the yellow tang population. In order to better understand the contextual factors contributing to the success of the West Hawaii FRAs, this research explores the following questions: (1) What factors documented in the literature on marine protected areas (MPAs) have been demonstrated to contribute to or inhibit MPA success internationally; (2) which of these factors do the FRAs of West Hawaii exhibit; and (3) are there additional factors that may have contributed to their wide acceptance and success? Common factors contributing to MPA success are determined through a synthesis of the literature. These include: level of community engagement, socioeconomic characteristics, ecological factors, MPA design, governance, and enforcement. The outcomes of West Hawaii′s FRAs are examined in the context of these factors. While the common factors agreed upon in the literature were key to the success of the FRAs, additional contextual factors such as the unique nature of the aquarium fishery and its social marginalization also played a vital role.     

Constraints and solutions for managing Pacific Island sea cucumber fisheries with an ecosystem approach

The ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) is a holistic paradigm that considers stocks of exploitable species, marine ecosystems and stakeholders. Management agencies must strike a balance between their capacity constraints and the requisites of management measures. Most small-scale sea cucumber fisheries of Pacific Islands have been plundered while others are being opened to commercial exploitation. Data from fishery managers and a regional workshop were used to assess the current problems, institutional constraints and solutions to the management of sea cucumber fisheries in 13 Pacific Island countries (PICs). Technical capacity was often strong for some management actions such as developing marine reserves but weak for others, such as enforcement. Using multi-disciplinary indicators, half of the fisheries were diagnosed by their managers as being overfished or depleted, despite evidence of optimistic bias. Fishery governance varied greatly among the PICs, and co-management frameworks were not typical of any cultural region. Management objectives were prioritised differently among managers but most highly ranked was to protect ecological resilience. The fishery managers proposed different sets of regulatory measures and various management actions, such as surveys to collect socio-economic and fishery-dependent data, support for local governance and strong enforcement – all widely under-practised. Pacific sea cucumber fisheries exemplify how the transition to an EAF by management institutions must involve reorganisation of their technical and human-resource capacities among management tasks. Levies on exports need to be internalised to fund improved management. Management agencies should consider a shift in resources from developing marine reserves, conducting underwater surveys and aquaculture-based restocking to strengthening enforcement capacity, stakeholder involvement and communication with fishers. In concert with these actions, short fishing seasons, shortlists of allowable species and tighter enforcement at export points may serve to turn the tide on boom-and-bust exploitation and safeguard biodiversity.     

The co-location of offshore windfarms and decapod fisheries in the UK: Constraints and opportunities

The offshore wind sector in the UK is expanding rapidly and is set to occupy significant areas of the coastal zone, making it necessary to explore the potential for co-location with other economic activities. The presence of turbine foundations introduces hard substrates into areas previously dominated by soft sediments, implying that artificial reef effects may occur, with potential benefits for fisheries. This review focuses on the possibilities for locating fisheries for two commercially important decapods, the brown crab Cancer pagurus and the European lobster Homarus gammarus, within offshore wind farms.Existing understanding of habitat use by C. pagurus and H. gammarus suggests that turbine foundations have the potential to act as artificial reefs, although the responses of these species to noise and electromagnetic fields are poorly understood. Offshore wind farm monitoring programmes provide very limited information, but do suggest that adult C. pagurus associate with turbine foundations, which may also serve as nursery areas. There was insufficient deployment and monitoring of rock armouring to draw conclusions about the association of H. gammarus with offshore wind farm foundations. The limited information currently available demonstrates the need for further research into the ecological and socio-economic issues surrounding fishery co-location potential.     

Emergence of co-management governance for Hawai‘i coral reef fisheries

Governance failures associated with top-down management have spawned a myriad of institutional arrangements to engage resource users in decision-making through co-management. Although co-management can take many forms and may not always lead to positive outcomes, it has emerged as a promising governance option available to meet social and ecological goals. Recent research on co-management of small-scale fisheries has used comparative approaches to test factors associated with social and ecological success. Less is known however, about how co-management institutional arrangements emerge and persist in the face of socioeconomic and environmental change. Here, we examine the emergence of co-management governance using a case study from coral reef fisheries in the Hawaiian Islands. We used a mixed methods approach, combining a robust policy analysis and a set of key respondent interviews to trace the evolution of this co-management arrangement. Our research uncovers a set of linked drivers and social responses, which together comprise the emergence phase for the evolution of co-management in this case study. Drivers include resource depletion and conflict, and social responses comprise self-organization, consensus building, and collective action. We share insights on key factors that affect these phases of emergence, drawing on empirical findings from our policy review and key respondent interviews. We conclude by describing ways that our findings can directly inform policy and planning in practice, including the importance of documenting the ‘creation story’ that spawned the new institutional arrangement, ensuring that enabling conditions are present, the complexity of defining community, the connection between process legitimacy and outcomes, and understanding the costs and timelines associated with co-management governance transitions.     

珠江口盆地东沙隆起生物礁地质及地震特征

东沙隆起珠江组生物礁是珠江口盆地重要的储层类型,礁灰岩主要为珊瑚藻灰岩,分为骨架岩、粘结岩及障积岩。研究区生物礁发育于开阔台地、台地边缘及台地前缘斜坡3类沉积相中,生物礁类型可分为台内点礁、台地边缘堡礁及台缘斜坡塔礁,以台地边缘堡礁为主。珠江组沉积早期,东沙隆起发育滨岸砂质沉积;中期海水逐渐淹没东沙隆起,形成镶边浅水碳酸盐台地,发育生物礁;晚期海侵台地逐渐淹没消亡,被浅海陆棚泥质沉积代替。流花台地厚度最大,最厚达563m,台地顶面地震强反射使外形轮廓清晰,台地内部中-弱振幅至空白反射,连续性降低;惠州台地厚度较流花台地薄,厚度多大于100m,顶界面强反射轮廓清晰,内部层状反射能量强-中振幅、高-中连续、中-低频,局部空白反射;陆丰台地厚约30m,只有一个高连续的强振幅。生物礁地震响应以丘形、箱型、低丘-透镜状为特征,礁顶常为强振幅,内部为波状、有时见前积结构,翼部可见上超和披覆现象等。