FINAL Five-Year Review of Essential Fish Habitat in the U. S. Caribbean VOLUME I: TEXT Caribbean Fishery Management Council 268 Muñoz Rivera Avenue, Suite 1108 San Juan Puerto Rico 00918-1920 21 November 2011 . Table of Contents ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT ............................................................. IV 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1. FIVE‐YEAR REVIEW APPROACH ................................................................................................................. 2 1.2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: COUNCIL ACTIONS TO PROTECT HABITAT (UP TO 2004) .......................................... 3 1.3. CHANGES IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE ENVIRONMENT: COUNCIL ACTIONS (AFTER 2004) ........................................ 4 1.3.1. Comprehensive Sustainable Fisheries Amendment (SFA) to the Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) of the U.S. Caribbean: .............................................................................................................. 4 1.3.2. 2010 ACL Amendment ................................................................................................................ 5 1.3.3. 2011 Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit (ACL) Amendment for the US Caribbean .................. 5 1.3.4. Bajo de Sico Closure Extension ................................................................................................... 6 1.3.5. Data ............................................................................................................................................ 6 1.3.5.1. U.S. Caribbean Data Workshop .......................................................................................... 6 1.3.5.2. Data Improvement Project ................................................................................................. 8 1.4. CURRENT EFH DESIGNATIONS .................................................................................................................. 8 1.5. CURRENT HAPC DESIGNATIONS ............................................................................................................... 9 1.6. MARINE PROTECTED AREAS IN THE U.S. CARIBBEAN .................................................................................. 12 1.7. EFH AREAS PROTECTED FROM FISHING IMPACTS IN THE U.S. CARIBBEAN ..................................................... 12 1.8. CURRENT MEASURES TO MINIMIZE FISHING IMPACTS TO EFH ..................................................................... 12 2. REVIEW EXISTING EFH DESCRIPTIONS AND DESIGNATIONS ............................................................ 13 3. REVIEW CHANGES IN THE BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT .................................................................. 13 3.1. SPECIES ADDED OR ELIMINATED FROM FISHERY MANAGEMENT UNITS .......................................................... 14 3.2. CHANGES TO THE STATUS OF MANAGED SPECIES AND REGULATORY AMENDMENTS ........................................ 17 3.2.1. Spiny Lobster ............................................................................................................................ 17 3.2.2. Queen Conch ............................................................................................................................ 17 3.2.3. Reef Fish and Coral ................................................................................................................... 19 3.3. NEW INFORMATION ABOUT SPECIES OR LIFE STAGE DISTRIBUTION, ABUNDANCE, DENSITY, PRODUCTIVITY, OR HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS ............................................................................................................................... 19 3.3.1. Spiny Lobster ............................................................................................................................ 20 3.3.2. Queen Conch ............................................................................................................................ 22 3.3.3. Reef Fish ................................................................................................................................... 25 3.3.3.1. Puerto Rico ........................................................................................................................ 26 3.3.3.2. USVI ................................................................................................................................... 33 3.3.3.3. Other Areas ....................................................................................................................... 36 3.3.4. Corals ........................................................................................................................................ 36 3.3.4.1. Puerto Rico ........................................................................................................................ 37 3.3.4.2. USVI ................................................................................................................................... 38 3.3.4.3. Mesophotic Reefs ............................................................................................................. 41 3.3.5. Community/ Ecosystem ............................................................................................................ 45 i 4. REVIEW OF NEW MAPPING EFFORTS, TOOLS AND MODELING TECHNIQUES IN EFH AND HAPC IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................... 47 4.1. REVIEW OF NEW MAPPING RESEARCH, MAPPING TOOLS, AND MODELING TECHNIQUES USED IN THE U.S. CARIBBEAN ................................................................................................................................................................ 48 4.1.1. Habitat mapping research conducted by the NOAA Biogeography Branch ............................. 48 4.1.2. Habitat mapping research conducted by other groups ............................................................ 52 4.1.3. Integrated GAP Analysis Program ............................................................................................ 54 4.1.4. EFH Mapper .............................................................................................................................. 57 4.1.5. MPA Mapping Tool ................................................................................................................... 58 4.2. REVIEW OF ALTERNATIVE METHODOLOGIES FOR USE IN EFH DESIGNATION IN THE U.S. CARIBBEAN .................. 58 4.2.1. Habitat models ......................................................................................................................... 59 4.2.1.1. The Pacific Fishery Management Council Modeling Approach ........................................ 60 4.2.1.2. Florida Habitat Suitability Models .................................................................................... 62 4.2.1.3. Texas Habitat Utilization Model ....................................................................................... 63 4.2.1.4. Caribbean Habitat Suitability Model Prototype................................................................ 63 4.2.1.5. Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Model ........................................................................................... 63 4.2.2. Habitat Models in Stock and Ecosystem Assessments ............................................................. 64 4.2.3. Modeling Impacts of Fishing .................................................................................................... 64 5. REVIEW CHANGES IN THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................ 65 6. REVIEW CHANGES AND NEW INFORMATION ON FISHING IMPACTS THAT MAY ADVERSELY AFFECT EFH .................................................................................................................................................... 68 7. REVIEW CHANGES AND NEW INFORMATION ON NON‐FISHING IMPACTS THAT MAY ADVERSELY AFFECT EFH ........................................................................................................................................ 72 7.1. REVIEW OF MARITIME‐RELATED FACTORS ................................................................................................ 72 7.2. REVIEW OF NATURAL IMPACTS ............................................................................................................... 73 7.2.1. General Impacts ....................................................................................................................... 74 7.2.2. Spiny Lobster Disease ............................................................................................................... 76 7.2.3. Review of Likely Climate Change Impacts to Habitat ............................................................... 78 7.2.4. Review of Likely Impacts of Lionfish Invasions ......................................................................... 85 8. REVIEW HABITAT AREA OF PARTICULAR CONCERN (HAPC) DESIGNATIONS (ADDITION OR REMOVAL OF HAPCS) ......................................................................................................................................... 89 9. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON UPDATING EFH INFORMATION ............................... 90 9.1 DESCRIPTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF EFH ............................................................................................... 91 9.1.1. Spiny Lobster EFH. ...................................................................................................................