Caribbean Spawning Aggregations: Biology and Management Status

In 2002, GCFI held a special session on reef fish spawning aggregations with the purpose of highlighting new methods and trends in the research and monitoring of spawning aggregations throughout the Caribbean Basin. This followed the GCFI 2001 MPA Symposium in which spawning aggregations were repeatedly identified as a significant criterion in MPA design. The goal of the 2002 session was to raise awareness of the critical situation fisheries managers are facing with the rapid decline of many spawning aggregations due to over-exploitation. To follow up on this effort, The Nature Conservancy and Environmental Defense are co-sponsoring a special session on spawning aggregations at the 2004 GCFI meeting.

This session will expand upon the previous work, with the goal of bringing fisheries managers and scientists together to share new information and further strengthen the network of practitioners addressing these issues. The main themes of this session will be: Status & History, Biology & Ecology, Connectivity, and Management.

Click here to see the declaration from the 2002 GCFI in Xel Ha, Mexico.

For more infomration, please contact the session organizers.