Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Marine Reserve Network in West Hawai’i to Improve Management of the Aquarium Fishery

A network of nine Fish Replenishment Areas (FRA) reserves was demarcated in West Hawai’i in 2000 in response to declines of reef fishes taken by aquarium collectors. In 1999, we established 23 study sites in FRAs, areas open to collectors and reference areas (existing protected areas) to collect data both prior to and after the closure of the reserve network in 2000. To date we have conducted 30 bimonthly surveys as well as surveys of the benthic habitats of all sites. Baseline surveys, done prior to reserve closure, document significant effects of aquarium collector harvesting on selected fishes. On average, aquarium fishes were 26% less abundant in newlyestablished reserves (formerly open) than adjacent reference areas. Analysis of postclosure surveys in 2000-2003 using a Before-After-Control-Impact procedure provided evidence of a significant increase of aquarium fishes in reserves, primarily in the yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens), the most collected aquarium fish in Hawaii. Multivariate analyses conducted to explore the relationship between characteristics of the FRAs, with changes in yellow tang population after FRA closure indicated that high numbers of juvenile tangs are associated with areas of high finger coral (Porites compressa) cover; and effective FRAs are associated with high numbers of adult fish and large FRAs with wide reefs, that have high finger coral cover