Fisheries Technical Workshop #1: “Length-Based Stock Assessment of Puerto Rico Reef Fishes & Computer-based Tools Laboratory” Jerald S. Ault, Steven G. Smith, Nathan R. Vaughan, Marc O. Nadon, Natalia Zurcher SEDAR46-RD-01 October 2015 NFWF Puerto Rico Length-Based Reef Fisheries Assessment 2011 Page 1 Workshop Technical Report September 2011 Sustaining Coral Reef Fisheries of Puerto Rico Jerald S. Ault, Steven G. Smith, Nathan R. Vaughan, Marc O. Nadon, Natalia Zurcher University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway Miami, FL 33149 USA Workshop Technical Report September 2011 NFWF Puerto Rico Length-Based Reef Fisheries Assessment 2011 Page 2 Workshop Technical Report September 2011 Fisheries Technical Workshop “Length-Based Stock Assessment of Puerto Rico Reef Fishes & Computer-based Tools Laboratory” Conveners: Drs. Jerry Ault and Steve Smith, University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science Local Host: Dr. Craig Lilyestrom, Puerto Rico Dept. of Natural and Environmental Resources Locations & Dates: DNER Fisheries Research Laboratory, Joyuda DNER, San Juan Day 1: August 22, 2011, 0900-1500 Day 1: August 24, 2011, 0900-1500 Day 2: August 23, 2011, 0900-1200 Day 2: August 25, 2011, 0900-1200 Workshop Goal.- The goals of these 2-day technical workshops will be to (1) present research results on the development and application of length-based approaches to sustainability analysis of Puerto Rico reef fishes, and (2) to conduct hands-on training in the use of computer tools for length-based stock assessment. On workshop Day 1, research results will be presented on data assimilation, analysis, and modeling aspects of length-based assessments of Puerto Rico reef fishes. On workshop Day 2, a laboratory will be conducted for training in the use of computer tools for carrying out length-based assessments. Target Audience.- This workshop is intended for reef fisheries scientists and managers from government and academia, as well as representatives from the commercial and recreational fishing communities and non-governmental organizations in Puerto Rico. Two 2-day workshops will accommodate participants based in the San Juan and Mayaguez regions. Background.- The coral reef fisheries of the Puerto Rico reef ecosystem support multimillion- dollar fishing and tourism industries. The sustainability of these fisheries is a key conservation concern given their economic and ecological importance, the significant dependence of subsistence and artisanal fishers on reef fisheries for their livelihoods, and the considerable and growing threats to coral reef habitats (i.e. coral bleaching and disease, pollution and climate change). Sustainability refers to the ability of an exploited stock to produce goods and services, including yields at suitable levels in the short term, while maintaining sufficient stock reproductive capacity to continue providing these goods and services into the indefinite future. The data- and model-limited situations confronting most coral reef fisheries, including those of Puerto Rico, have hampered application of modern stock assessment techniques that meet the legal mandate of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA). We have developed a class of length-based methods for stock assessment of data- limited fisheries (Ault et al. 2008). These approaches have relatively simple data requirements, provide a community-level perspective on exploitation effects, and also enable evaluation of stock-specific sustainability that conforms to the legal requirements of the MSFCMA. NFWF Puerto Rico Length-Based Reef Fisheries Assessment 2011 Page 3 Workshop Technical Report September 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS Overview & Introduction ........................................................................................................4 1.0 Data Sources & LBAR Analyses ....................................................................................8 1.1 Data Sources and Processing ...............................................................................8 1.2 Species Classification ............................................................................................8 1.3 Time, Space, and Gear Characteristics ...............................................................9 1.4 LBar Estimation ...................................................................................................10 1.5 Tables and Figures ..............................................................................................11 2.0 Theory of Length-based Stock Assessment ..............................................................44 3.0 Population-Dynamics Data & Sources ......................................................................46 4.0 Length-Based Mortality Analyses ..............................................................................49 5.0 Numerical Population Model ......................................................................................50 6.0 Sustainability Benchmarks & Resource Risk Analyses .........................................51 6.1 Description ...........................................................................................................51 6.2 Example Applications ........................................................................................53 6.3 MAST Computer Program Applications .........................................................55 Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................................72 References .................................................................................................................................72 Appendices ...............................................................................................................................74 A. Species observed in commercial and sport fleet sampling B. Species Length Composition Sample Sizes by Data Source C. Time-series Lbar estimates D. Manual for MAST and User’s Guide NFWF Puerto Rico Length-Based Reef Fisheries Assessment 2011 Page 4 Workshop Technical Report September 2011 OVERVIEW The coral reef fisheries of the Puerto Rico reef ecosystem, inhabited by hundreds of reef fishes and macroinvertebrates, supports multimillion-dollar fishing and tourism industries. The sustainability of multispecies coral reef fisheries in Puerto Rico is a key conservation concern given their economic and ecological importance the significant dependence of subsistence and artisanal fishers on reef fisheries for their livelihoods, and the considerable and growing threats to coral reef habitats (i.e. coral bleaching and disease, pollution and climate change). Sustainability refers to the ability of an exploited stock to produce goods and services, including yields at suitable levels in the short term, while maintaining sufficient stock reproductive capacity to continue providing these goods and services into the indefinite future. The objective of this research is to develop a quantitative toolbox that will facilitate the conservation efforts of state and federal managers and increase regional capacity to build sustainable reef fisheries in Puerto Rico. The long-term conservation outcome is to achieve sustainable levels of fishing for exploited groupers, snappers, and parrotfishes in Puerto Rico. INTRODUCTION The coral reef fisheries of the Puerto Rico reef ecosystem, inhabited by hundreds of reef fishes and macroinvertebrates, supports multimillion-dollar fishing and tourism industries (Fig. 1). The sustainability of multispecies coral reef fisheries in Puerto Rico is a key conservation concern given their economic and ecological importance, the significant dependence of subsistence and artisanal fishers on reef fisheries for their livelihoods, and the considerable and growing threats to coral reef habitats (i.e. coral bleaching and disease, pollution and climate change). Sustainability refers to the ability of an exploited stock to produce goods and services, including yields at suitable levels in the short term, while maintaining sufficient stock reproductive capacity to continue providing these goods and services into the indefinite future. The data- and model-limited situations confronting most coral reef fisheries, including those of Puerto Rico, have hampered application of modern stock assessment techniques that meet the legal mandate of the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA). The objective of this research is to develop a quantitative toolbox of data assimilation and length-based fishery assessment methods to compute reference points for the multispecies coral reef fisheries that will facilitate the conservation efforts of state and federal managers and increase regional capacity to build sustainable reef fisheries in Puerto Rico. Our proposed approach is novel in that it has relatively simple data requirements and provides a community-level perspective on exploitation effects, yet also enables evaluation of stock-specific sustainability that conforms to the legal requirements of the MSFCMA. The long-term conservation outcome is to achieve sustainable levels of NFWF Puerto Rico Length-Based Reef Fisheries Assessment 2011 Page 5 Workshop Technical Report September 2011 fishing for exploited groupers, snappers, and parrotfishes in Puerto Rico through development of new framework of assimilation and modeling methods and by working closely with regional managers and scientists to implement