Abstract
Many tropical fisheries are data-poor and lack population demographic information needed for effective management and conservation. In this study we used mark-recapture of bonefish, Albula vulpes, an important species in catch-and-release recreational fisheries, to estimate capture probabilities. Moreover, for the first time we generated key demographic parameters including apparent survival, new entries and population size. We marked 9657 bonefish and recaptured 605 (6.3 % recapture rate) inside and outside protected areas in northern Belize and southern Mexico. We built 20 open population model types known as POPAN in program MARK. The model with a constant superpopulation and probability, and a time-dependent survival and capture probability was best supported by our data. A potentially stable superpopulation size of bonefish > 22 cm of approximately 197,350 individuals (SE = 16,010, lower bound = 168,382, upper bound = 231,302) inhabited a larger region beyond our sampled (40.8 km2 sample area). A combination of permanent and temporary immigration and emigration patterns resulted in seasonal variations in survival, capture probabilities, probability of entry of individuals and population size (or abundance). Approximately 188,000 adult bonefish migrate and congregate in near-shore pre-spawning aggregation sites of the Caribbean Sea near Belize and Mexico during the spawning season. Population stability is likely associated with bonefish protections enacted in 1977, protected areas, and conservation practices by fishing communities of Belize and Mexico. This highlights the importance of protected areas and interjurisdictional fisheries management and suggests the need for a paradigm shift in the Caribbean to include connectivity of habitats essential to all life stages for important fish species.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Acolas M-L, Lambert P (2016) Life Histories of Anadromous Fishes. In: Morais P, Daverat F (eds) An introduction to fish migration. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 55–77
Adams AJ (2017) Guidelines for evaluating the suitability of catch and release fisheries: Lessons learned from Caribbean flats fisheries. Fish Res 186:672–680. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2016.09.027
Adams AJ, Murchie KJ (2015) Recreational fisheries as conservation tools for mangrove habitats. Am Fish Soc Symp 83:43–56
Adams AJ, Dahlgren CP, Kellison GT et al (2006) Nursery function of tropical back-reef systems. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 318:287–301
Adams A, Wolfe R, Tringali M et al (2008) Rethinking the status of Albula spp. biology in the Caribbean and western Atlantic. In: Ault JS (ed) The biology and management of the world tarpon and bonefish fisheries. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 203–214
Adams AJ, Horodysky AZ, Mcbride RS et al (2013) Global conservation status and research needs for tarpons (Megalopidae), ladyfishes (Elopidae) and bonefishes (Albulidae). Fish Fish 15:280–311
Adams AJ, Rehage JS, Cooke SJ (2019a) A multi-methods approach supports the effective management and conservation of coastal marine recreational flats fisheries. Environ Biol Fishes 102:105–115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-018-0840-1
Adams AJ, Shenker JM, Jud Z et al (2019b) Identifying pre-spawning aggregation sites for the recreationally important bonefish (Albula vulpes) to inform conservation. Environ Biol Fishes 102:159–173
Akaike H (1973) Maximum likelihood identification of gaussian autoregressive moving average models. Biometrics 60:255–265
Akçakaya HR (2000) Viability analyses with habitat-based metapopulation models. Popul Ecol 42:45–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s101440050008
Arlinghaus R, Cooke SJ, Potts W (2013) Towards resilient recreational fisheries on a global scale through improved understanding of fish and fisher behaviour. Fish Manag Ecol 20:91–98. https://doi.org/10.1111/fme.12027
Arnason AN (1972) Parameter estimates from mark-recapture experiments on two population subjects to migration and death. Res Popul Ecol (Kyoto) 13:97–113
Arnason AN (1973) The estimation of population size, migration rates and survival in a stratified population. Res Popul Ecol (Kyoto) 15:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02510705
Arnason NA, Schwarz CJ (1999) Using popan-5 to analyse banding data. Bird Study 46:S157–S168. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063659909477242
Ault JS, Moret S, Luo J et al (2008) Florida Keys bonefish population census. In: Ault JS (ed) Biology and management of the world tarpon and bonefish fisheries. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 383–398
Beets J (2001) Declines in finfish resources in Tarawa Lagoon, Kiribati, emphasize the need for increased conservation effort. Atoll Res Bull 1–14. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00775630.490
Begon M, Harper JL, Townsend CR (2006) Ecology from individuals to ecosystems, 3rd edn. Blackwell Publishing, USA
Binder TR, Cooke SJ, Hinch SG (2011) The biology of fish migration. In: Farrell AP (ed) Encyclopedia of fish physiology: from genome to environment. Academic, San Diego, pp 1921–1927
Boucek R, Adams AJ (2011) Comparison of retention success for multiple tag types in common snook. North Am J Fish Manag 31:693–699. https://doi.org/10.1080/02755947.2011.611044
Boucek RE, Lewis JP, Stewart BD et al (2019) Measuring site fidelity and homesite-to-pre-spawning site connectivity of bonefish (Albula vulpes): using mark-recapture to inform habitat conservation. Environ Biol Fishes 102:185–195
Brownscombe JW, Danylchuk AJ, Adams AJ et al (2019) Bonefish in South Florida: status, threats and research needs. Environ Biol Fishes 102:329–348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-018-0820-5
Colton DE, Alevizon WS (1983) Feeding ecology of bonefish in Bahamian waters. Trans Am Fish Soc 112:178–184
Couto A, BaptistaM, Furtado M, Sousa L, Queiroz N (2016) Life histories of oceanodromous fishes. In: Morais P, Daverat F (eds) An introduction to fish migration. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 123–146
Danylchuk AJ, Danylchuk SE, Cooke SJ et al (2007a) Post-release mortality of bonefish, Albula vulpes, exposed to different handling practices during catch-and-release angling in Eleuthera, The Bahamas. Fish Manag Ecol 14:149–154. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2400.2007.00535.x
Danylchuk AJ, Danylchuk SE, Cooke SJ, Goldberg TL (2007b) Do bonefish (Albula vulpes) use mangroves for protection from predators following catch-and-release angling? In: 59th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, pp 417–422
Danylchuk SE, Danylchuk AJ, Cooke SJ et al (2007c) Effects of recreational angling on the post-release behavior and predation of bonefish (Albula vulpes): the role of equilibrium status at the time of release. J Exp Mar Bio Ecol 346:127–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2007.03.008
Danylchuk AJ, Danylchuk SE, Cooke SJ et al (2008) Ecology and management of bonefish (Albula spp.) in the Bahamian archipelago. In: Ault JS (ed) Biology and management of the world tarpon and bonefish fisheries. CRC, Boca Raton, pp 79–92
Danylchuk AJ, Cooke SJ, Goldberg TL et al (2011) Aggregations and offshore movements as indicators of spawning activity of bonefish (Albula vulpes) in The Bahamas. Mar Biol 158:1981–1999
Danylchuk AJ, Lewis J, Jud Z et al (2019) Behavioral observations of bonefish (Albula vulpes) during prespawning aggregations in the Bahamas: clues to identifying spawning sites that can drive broader conservation efforts. Environ Biol Fishes 102:175–184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-018-0830-3
Dingle H (2014) Migration: the biology of life on the move, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford
FAO (2009) Fisheries management. 2. The ecosystem approach to fisheries. 2.2 Human dimensions of ecosystem approach to fisheries. Technical guidelines for responsible fisheries. No. 4, Suppl. 2, Add. 2. Rome
FAO (2012) Recreational fisheries. FAO technical guidelines for responsible fisheries. No. 13. Rome
Fedler AJ (2009) The economic impact of recreational fishing in the Everglades Region. Palmetto Bay
Fedler A (2013) Economic impact of the Florida Keys flats fishery. Vero Beach, FL
Fedler AJ (2014) 2013 economic impact of flats fishing in Belize. Vero Beach, FL
Fedler AJ (2019) The economic impact of flats fishing in The Bahamas. Miami, FL
Filous A, Lennox RJ, Eveson P et al (2019) Population dynamics of roundjaw bonefish Albula glossodonta at a remote coralline atoll inform community-based management in an artisanal fishery. Fish Manag Ecol 27:200–214. https://doi.org/10.1111/fme.12399
Friedlander AM, Parrish JD (1998) Habitat characteristics affecting fish assemblages on a Hawaiian coral reef. J Exp Mar Bio Ecol 224:1–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-0981(97)00164-0
González NE, Carrera-Parra LF, Salazar-Silva P et al (2009) Macrobentos. In: Espinoza-Ávalos J, Islebe GA, Hernández-Arana HA (eds) El sistema ecológico de la bahía de Chetumal/Corozal: costa occidental del Mar Caribe. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Chetumal, pp 88–101
Government of Belize (2003) Fisheries Act (extension of application) Order, Fisheries Act Chap. 210, revised edition 2003. 226
Government of Belize (2009a) S.I. 114 of the Fisheries Act, Chap. 210. Belize Government Gazzette, Belize
Government of Belize (2009b) S.I. 115 of the Coastal Zone Management Authority Act, Chap. 329. Belize Government Gazzette, Belize
Government of Belize (2015) Fisheries (Hol Chan Marine Reserve) Regulations 2015. Belize Government Gazzette, Belize
Grimshaw T, Paz G (2004) The revised Bacalar Chico National Park & Marine Reserve management plan. Green Reef Environmental Insitute, San Pedro
Hernández-Arana H, Ameneyro-Angeles B (2011) Benthic biodiversity changes due to the opening of an artificial channel in a tropical coastal lagoon (Mexican Caribbean). J Mar Biol Assoc United Kingdom 91:969–978. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315410002043
Heyman WD, Kjerfve B (2008) Characterization of transient multi-species reef fish spawning aggregations at Gladden Spit, Belize. Bull Mar Sci 83:531–551
Heyman WD, Kjerfve B, Graham RT et al (2005) Spawning aggregations of Lutjanus cyanopterus (Cuvier) on the Belize Barrier Reef over a 6 year period. J Fish Biol 67:83–101. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2005.00714.x
Hightower JE, Pollock KH (2013) Tagging methods for estimating population size and mortality rates of inland striped bass populations. Am Fish Soc Symp, pp 249–262
Jolly GM (1965) Explicit estimates from capture-recapture data with both death and immigration- stochastic model. Biometrics 52:225–247
Larkin MF (2011) Assessment of South Florida’s bonefish stock. University of Miami, FL
Mackenzie DI, Royle JA (2005) Designing occupancy studies: general advice and allocating survey effort. J Appl Ecol 42:1105–1114. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.01098.x
MacKenzie DI, Nichols JD, Royle JA et al (2006) Occupancy estimation and modeling: inferring patterns and dynamics of dpecies occurrence. Academic, Burlington
McGarvey R (2009) Methods of estimating mortality and movement rates from single-tag recovery data that are unbiased by tag non-reporting. Rev Fish Biol Fish 17:291–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641260802664841
McGarvey R, Feenstra JE (2002) Estimating rates of fish movement from tag recoveries: conditioning by recapture. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 59:1054–1064. https://doi.org/10.1139/f02-080
Medina-Quej A, Arce-Ibarra AM, Herrera-Pavón RL et al (2009) Pesquerías: sector social, recurso base y manejo. In: Espinoza-Ávalos J, Islebe GA, Hernández-Arana HA (eds) El sistema ecológico de la bahía de Chetumal/Corozal: costa occidental del Mar Caribe. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Chetumal, Mexico, pp 184–195
Mumby PJ (2005) Connectivity of reef fish between mangroves and coral reefs: algorithms for the design of marine reserves at seascape scales. Biol Conserv 128:215–222
Murchie KJ, Cooke SJ, Danylchuk AJ et al (2013) Movement patterns of bonefish (Albula vulpes) in tidal creeks and coastal waters of Eleuthera, The Bahamas. Fish Res 147:404–412
Murchie KJ, Haak CR, Power M et al (2019) Ontogenetic patterns in resource use dynamics of bonefish (Albula vulpes) in the Bahamas. Environ Biol Fishes 102:117–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-018-0789-0
Ortiz-Hernández MC, Sáenz-Morales R (1997) Effects of organic material and distribution of fecal coliforms in Chetumal Bay, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Environ Monit Assess 55:423–434. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005939100154
Perez AU, Schmitter-Soto JJ, Adams AJ, Herrera-Pavón RL (2019a) Influence of environmental variables on abundance and movement of bonefish (Albula vulpes) in the Caribbean Sea and a tropical estuary of Belize and Mexico. Environ Biol Fishes 102:1421–1434. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-019-00916-0
Perez AU, Schmitter-Soto JJ, Adams AJ, Heyman WD (2019b) Connectivity mediated by seasonal bonefish (Albula vulpes) migration between the Caribbean Sea and a tropical estuary of Belize and Mexico. Environ Biol Fishes 102:197–207. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-018-0834-z
Perez AU, Schmitter-Soto JJ, Adams AJ (2020) Towards a new shift in conservation and management of a fishery system and protected areas using bonefish (Albula vulpes) as an umbrella species in Belize and Mexico. Environ Biol Fishes 103:1359–1370. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-020-01028-w
Perez-Cobb AU, Arce-Ibarra AM, García-Ortega M et al (2014) Artisanal recreational fisheries: using a combined approach to fishery assessment aimed at providing insights for fishery managers. Source Mar Resour Econ 29:89–109
Pickett BD, Wallace EM, Ridge PG, Kauwe JSK (2020) Lingering taxonomic challenges hinder conservation and management of global bonefishes. Fisheries 45:347–358. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10438
Pine WE, Pollock KH, Hightower JE et al (2003) A review of tagging methods for estimating fish population size and somponents of mortality. Fisheries 28:10–23. https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8446(2003)28
RStudio-Team (2016) RStudio: Integrated development for R. RStudio, Inc. http://rstudio.com/
Russ GR, Alcala AC, Mayapa AP et al (2004) Marine reserve benefits local fisheries. Ecol Appl 14:597–606
Sadovy de Mitcheson Y, Cornish A, Domeier M et al (2008) A global baseline for spawning aggregations of reef fishes. Conserv Biol 22:1233–1244. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.01020.x
Sala E, Ballesteros E, Starr RM (2001) Rapid decline of Nassau grouper spawning aggregations in Belize: fishery management and conservation needs. Fisheries 26:23–30. https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8446(2001)026<0023:RDONGS>2.0.CO;2
Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development (2015) Northern Belize coastal complex management action planning outputs, Summary. Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development, Sarteneja, Belize, 42 p
Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development (2020) Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary Management Plan 2020–2024. Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development, Sarteneja, Belize, 256 p
Schmitter-Soto JJ, Herrera-Pavón RL (2019) Changes in the fish community of a western Caribbean estuary after the expansion of an artificial channel to the sea. Water 11:w11122582. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11122582
Schmitter-Soto JJ, Aguilar-Perera A, Cruz-Martínez A et al (2018) Interdecadal trends in composition, density, size, and mean trophic level of fish species and guilds before and after coastal development in the Mexican Caribbean. Biodivers Conserv 27:459–474. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1446-1
Schwarz CJ, Arnason AN (1996) A general methodology for the analysis of capture-recapture experiments in open populations. Biometrics 52:860–873
Seber GAF (1965) A note on the multiple-recapture census. Biometrics 49:269–271
Shaw AK, Levin SA (2011) To breed or not to breed: a model of partial migration. Oikos 120:1871–1879. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.19443.x
Sheaves M (2009) Consequences of ecological connectivity: the coastal ecosystem mosaic. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 391:107–115. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08121
Steinberg MK (2015) A nationwide assessment of threats to bonefish, tarpon, and permit stocks and habitat in Belize. Environ Biol Fishes 98:2277–2285. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-015-0429-x
Suski CD, Cooke SJ, Danylchuk AJ et al (2007) Physiological disturbance and recovery dynamics of bonefish (Albula vulpes), a tropical marine fish, in response to variable exercise and exposure to air. Comp Biochem Physiol - A Mol Integr Physiol 148:664–673
Sweetman BM, Cissell JR, Rhine S, Steinberg MK (2019) Land cover changes on Ambergris Caye, Belize: a case study of unregulated tourism development. Prof Geogr 71:123–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/00330124.2018.1501710
Thurow RF (2016) Life histories of potamodromous fishes. In: Morais P, Daverat F (eds) An introduction to fish migration. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 29–54
Torres-Chávez P, Schmitter-Soto JJ, Mercado-Silva N, Valdez-Moreno ME (2018) Movimiento entre hábitats de la barracuda Sphyraena barracuda, determinado por aproximaciones tróficas en el Caribe. Rev Mex Biodivers 89:865–872
Vidal-Martínez VM, Aguirre-Macedo ML, Noreña-Barroso E et al (2003) Potential interactions between metazoan parasites of the Mayan catfish Ariopsis assimilis and chemical pollution in Chetumal Bay, Mexico. J Helminthol 77:173–184. https://doi.org/10.1079/joh2002158
White GC, Burnham KP (1999) Program MARK: survival estimation from populations of marked animals. Bird Study 46:S120–S139. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063659909477239
Acknowledgements
Funding sources were the Mexican Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, via project No. 242558, and Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. We are thankful to fishers, guides (Omar Arceo, Jose Polanco, Geovanni Ortega, Rob Mukai), volunteers (Jon-Pierre Windsor, Felipe Martínez, Antonio Aguilar, Fernando Aguilar, Julio Cárdenas, Jason Maize, Rudy Castellanos, David González, Yasmin González, Norman Mercado, Axel Schmitter, Martha Valdez), fishing lodges (Omar Arceo Freelance Fishing, El Pescador Lodge and Villas, Costa de Cocos, Acocote Inn and Flats Fly-Fishing Guides Services) and Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development. Special thanks to Janneth Padilla for the study area map. Fishing permits: PPF/DGOPA-053/15 in Mexico and 000008–16 in Belize, with additional authorization from the corresponding protected areas.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethical approval
All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed as highlighted in acknowledgements and methodology.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Perez, A.U., Schmitter-Soto, J.J. & Adams, A.J. The first estimate of interjurisdictional population dynamics for bonefish, Albula vulpes, a shared resource in the western Caribbean. Environ Biol Fish 104, 341–356 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-021-01081-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-021-01081-z