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PLoS One
2016 Jul 14;117:e0159100. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159100.
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Responses of Herbivorous Fishes and Benthos to 6 Years of Protection at the Kahekili Herbivore Fisheries Management Area, Maui.
Williams ID
,
White DJ
,
Sparks RT
,
Lino KC
,
Zamzow JP
,
Kelly EL
,
Ramey HL
.
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In response to concerns about declining coral cover and recurring macroalgal blooms, in 2009 the State of Hawaii established the Kahekili Herbivore Fisheries Management Area (KHFMA). Within the KHFMA, herbivorous fishes and sea urchins are protected, but other fishing is allowed. As part of a multi-agency monitoring effort, we conducted surveys at KHFMA and comparison sites around Maui starting 19 months before closure, and over the six years since implementation of herbivore protection. Mean parrotfish and surgeonfish biomass both increased within the KHFMA (by 139% [95%QR (quantile range): 98-181%] and 28% [95%QR: 3-52%] respectively). Most of those gains were of small-to-medium sized species, whereas large-bodied species have not recovered, likely due to low levels of poaching on what are preferred fishery targets in Hawaii. Nevertheless, coincident with greater biomass of herbivores within the KHFMA, cover of crustose coralline algae (CCA) has increased from ~2% before closure to ~ 15% in 2015, and macroalgal cover has remained low throughout the monitoring period. Strong evidence that changes in the KHFMA were a consequence of herbivore management are that (i) there were no changes in biomass of unprotected fish families within the KHFMA; and that (ii) there were no similar changes in parrotfish or CCA at comparison sites around Maui. It is not yet clear how effective herbivore protection might eventually be for the KHFMA''s ultimate goal of coral recovery. Coral cover declined over the first few years of surveys-from 39.6% (SE 1.4%) in 2008, to 32.9% (SE 0.8%) in 2012, with almost all of that loss occurring by 2010 (1 year after closure), i.e. before meaningful herbivore recovery had occurred. Coral cover subsequently stabilized and may have slightly increased from 2012 through early 2015. However, a region-wide bleaching event in 2015 had already led to some coral mortality by the time surveys were conducted in late 2015, at which time cover had dropped back to levels recorded in the KHFMA in 2012.
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27462981
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Fig 2. Trends in biomass of herbivorous fishes.Error bars represent standard error by family. ‘Naso browser’ are N. uncornis and N. lituratus, and ‘Naso planktivore’ are made up of species that primarily feed on plankton as adults, N. hexacanthus and N. brevirostris.
Fig 3. Net change between ‘before’ (2008–9) and ‘after’ (2014–15) by taxa for herbivores (protected from fishing) and other families (without fishery restriction).Data points represents the net proportional change in biomass from ‘before’ to ‘after’, and lines present the 95% quantile range (95%QR) of that change. 95%QR not overlapping zero is evidence of a significant difference between time periods, shown as a green square (biomass increase) or red square (biomass decrease). Taxa shown are all those with mean biomass across before and after periods of at least 0.5 g/m2, plus a large bodied parrotfish species, Scarus rubroviolaceus, with mean biomass slightly below that level. Within groupings (surgeonfishes, parrotfishes, unprotected families), taxa are ordered by mean biomass from highest to lowest.
Fig 4. Size distribution of parrotfishes 10cm and above, pooled into 2-year periods.2008–9 represents size distribution before closure. The dark green columns in all figures represent biomass per size class in 2008–9, and are shown in later figures to highlight differences between 2008–9 and later time periods.
Fig 6. Trends in benthic cover at KHFMA.Data shown are annual mean and standard error.
Fig 7. Net change between ‘before’ (2008–9) and ‘after’ (2014–15) for cover of (a) crustose coralline algae (CCA) and (b) hard coral at KHFMA and comparison locations surveyed by Hawaii DAR. Data points represent the net absolute change in % cover from ‘before’ to ‘after’, and lines are 95% quantile range (95%QR) of that change. 95% QR not overlapping zero are taken as evidence of a significant difference between time periods, shown as a green square (increase) or red square (decrease).
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