Strategies for the development and implementation of Marine Protected Areas in Puerto Rico

Conservation, Habitat, Management, Marine Protected Area

Author: Manuel Valdes Pizzini, Ph.D. Institution: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Year: 2006 This project allowed us to understand the legal, social, economic and policy processes and framework that configure the process of marine protected area (MPA) design, development and implementation in Puerto Rico. The analysis led to the construction of a set of guidelines (in progress) for…

Mona reef community structure and function for MPA design

Benthic, Conservation, Ecology, Fish, Habitat, Management, Marine Protected Area, Monitoring, Ontogeny, Spawning

Author: Michelle T. Schärer, Ph.D. Institution: HJR Reefscaping Year: 2006 The Mona Island Natural Reserve (MINR) was designated in 1986 and is managed by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER). As an isolated island in the middle of a partial biogeographic boundary, healthy coral reef fish communities at Mona are essential both for population…

Progress in mapping the Cabo Rojo shelf using SSS

Acoustic, Benthic, Fish, Habitat, Mapping, Reef, Remote sensing, Sonar, Spawning

Author: Jose A. Rivera, Ph.D. Institution: NOAA Fisheries Year: 2006 Located on the west coast, the Cabo Rojo shelf is the widest section of the Puerto Rico (PR) shelf, comprising a diverse mosaic of benthic habitats including well developed deep reefs, at least three known spawning aggregation (SPAG) sites, three of the six federal U.S. Caribbean MPA’s and…

Reef fish spawning aggregations of the Puerto Rican shelf

Conservation, Ecology, Fish, Habitat, Management, Reef, Snapper, Spawning

Author: Edgardo Ojeda, Ph.D. Institution: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Year: 2007 Known spawning aggregation sites (SPAG’s) for reef fishes from Puerto Rico consisted only of several red hind (Epinephelus guttatus) sites and one each for tiger grouper (Mycteroperca tigris) and mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis). This project initiated an interview-based survey as a first step to identify additional…

Mapping red hind groupers at spawning aggregation sites with an AUV and long-term acoustic recorders in Puerto Rico

Acoustic, Ecology, Fish, Grouper, Habitat, Management, Mapping, Remote sensing, Spawning

Author: David Mann, Ph.D. Institution: University of South Florida Year: 2008 Field trips to Mona Island and the West Coast of Puerto Rico and subsequent data analysis have revealed a unique sound associated with male red hind (Epinephelus guttatus) territoriality, which has been identified and characterized. Data corresponds to two months of recordings from long-term acoustic recorders (LARS)…

Taking coastal mapping to a new level: assessing habitat composition and water properties of shallow coastal ecosystems along the coast of Puerto Rico using hyperspectral remote sensing

Benthic, Chemistry, Coastal, Habitat, Mapping, Remote sensing, Sediment

Author: James Goodman, Ph.D. Institution: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Year: 2007 – 2008 The primary objective of the project is to provide a more comprehensive assessment and mapping of the shallow coastal resources for selected areas along the coast of Puerto Rico. Specifically, we will extract information on habitat composition and water properties using the enhanced capabilities…

Sedimentation patterns at reef sites adjacent to the Guanica Bay watershed, Southwest Puerto Rico

Chemistry, Coastal, Conservation, Geology, Habitat, Monitoring, Sediment

Author: Clark Sherman, Ph.D. Institution: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Year: 2009 – 2012 This research is part of the Guanica Bay Watershed Project, a multi-agency project to strategically evaluate, design, and implement a watershed restoration project to reduce the effects of land-based sources of pollution into the coastal ocean. A primary element of this…