Global declines in oyster reefs have resulted in reduced habitat heterogeneity, extent and quality for some coastal finfish, potentially reducing fish populations and catches. It is well established that habitat restoration results in higher finfish biomass and diversity where oyster reefs replace bare substrata. Therefore, restoring oyster reefs with a view to also improving fish stocks is often a key goal of oyster restoration. However, the principles of habitat quality, ecological connectivity and broader ecosystem management are poorly integrated within oyster reef restoration ecology, but such principles may be instructive in enhancing the benefits of projects on fish populations throughout estuarine seascapes. This manuscript presents a framework for projects seeking to restore both oyster reef habitat and finfish communities. Structurally and biologically complex oyster reefs, comprising both oysters and other invertebrates, are required to provide shelter, food and nursery services to fish. By carefully considering site selection at seascape scales (km to 10s of km), restoration can enhance the network of habitat available to fish and potentially increase the overall carrying capacity of the estuary. Managers of estuaries that now include restored oyster reefs should implement fisheries management plans and consider the effects of management actions broadly throughout catchments; failing to do so may jeopardize gains in fish yields. Management decisions must be adaptable, responding to key criteria in thorough monitoring programs. Integrating these ecological and coastal management concepts into oyster reef restoration will enhance outcomes for fishes and increase stakeholder engagement and cost‐effectiveness.

Maximizing the benefits of oyster reef restoration for finfish and their fisheries

3D hotspots of marine litter in the Mediterranean: A modeling study.

The total spatial coverage of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) within the Brazilian Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) has recently achieved the quantitative requirement of the Aichii Biodiversity Target 11. However, the distribution of MPAs in the Brazilian EEZ is still unbalanced regarding the proportion of protected ecosystems, protection goals and management types. Moreover, the demographic connectivity between these MPAs and their effectiveness regarding the maintenance of biodiversity are still not comprehensively understood. An individual-based modeling scheme coupled with a regional hydrodynamic model of the ocean is used to determine the demographic connectivity of reef fishes based on the widespread genus Sparisoma found in the oceanic islands and on the Brazilian continental shelf between 10° N and 23° S. Model results indicate that MPAs are highly isolated due to extremely low demographic connectivity. Consequently, low connectivity and the long distances separating MPAs contribute to their isolation. Therefore, the current MPA design falls short of its goal of maintaining the demographic connectivity of Sparisoma populations living within these areas. In an extreme scenario in which the MPAs rely solely on protected populations for recruits, it is unlikely that they will be able to effectively contribute to the resilience of these populations or other reef fish species sharing the same dispersal abilities. Results also show that recruitment occurs elsewhere along the continental shelf indicating that the protection of areas larger than the current MPAs would enhance the network, maintain connectivity and contribute to the conservation of reef fishes.

/pdf/low-connectivity-compromises-the-conservation-of-reef-fishes-idug4cide5.pdf

Low connectivity compromises the conservation of reef fishes by marine protected areas in the tropical South Atlantic.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designed to conserve and preserve the eco systems and cultural resources of the ocean. In theory, protected populations flourish, replenish adjacent regions, and are self-sustaining. However, describing the efficacy of MPAs requires long-term monitoring. Queen conch Lobatus gigas are iconic Caribbean denizens with populations that have been decimated by overfishing and are slow to rebound due to density-dependent breeding. The Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park (ECLSP) is a well-enforced, no-take, old, and large MPA. Surveys in 1994, 2011, and 2016 were used to track changes in the abundance, size, and age structure of conch within the park. Statistical models suggested that abundances of adults in 50 km of repeated towed-observer surveys had declined by 71% in 2016 relative to 2011. Further, the remaining conch populations were associated with tidal channels, and these model results agreed with independent observations in 40 km of expanded survey area. Measurements of shell lip thickness, an estimator of relative age, showed an increase relative to 1994 with the greatest effect in 2016, indicating senescence. The ECLSP population appears to be slowly dying of old age, and an early life history process has been altered. Upstream populations have been heavily fished while habitats within the park remain productive, suggesting that low local retention and a lack of exogenous larval sources are driving the decline. A network of MPAs encompassing the entire life cycle and dispersal envelope of targeted organisms is needed for proper conch conservation. Surveys focused on tidal channels could locate candidate upstream populations of conch.

/pdf/efficacy-of-an-established-marine-protected-area-at-1awf9ydlry.pdf

Efficacy of an established marine protected area at sustaining a queen conch Lobatus gigas population during three decades of monitoring

The influence of the cross-shelf oceanographic front occurring between the Brazil Current (BC) and the Brazilian Coastal Current (BCC) on the local Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer (MABL) is investigated here. This front is typical of wintertime in the Southern Brazilian Continental Shelf (SBCS) and this is the first time that its effects are investigated over the above MABL. Here we analyze variability, vertical structure, and stability of MABL as well as heat fluxes at air-sea interface, across five oceanographic transects in the SBCS made during a winter 2012 cruise. Local thermal gradients associated with mixing between distinct water masses, play an essential role on MABL modulation and stability. Although weaker when compared with other frontal regions, the cross-shelf thermal gradients reproduce exactly what is expected for open ocean regions: Stronger (weaker) winds, lower (higher) sea level pressure, and a more unstable (stable) MABL are found over the warm (cold) side of the oceanographic front between the BC (warm) and coastal (cold) waters. Our findings strongly support the coexistence of both known MABL modulation mechanisms: the static and hydrostatic MABL stability. This is the first time that these modulation mechanisms are documented for this region. Turbulent fluxes were found to be markedly dependent on the cross-shelf SST gradients resulting in differences of up to 100 W.m−2 especially in the southernmost region where the gradients were more intense.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/2016JC011774

Air-sea interaction at the Southern Brazilian Continental Shelf: In situ observations

The East Continental Shelf (ECS) of Brazil is a hotspot of endemism and biodiversity of reef biota in the South Atlantic, hosting a number of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Connectivity of MPAs through larval dispersal influences recruitment, population dynamics, genetic structure and biogeography in coral reef ecosystems. Connectivity of protected reef ecosystem in the ECS was investigated with a hydrodynamic model (ROMS) forcing an Individual Based Model (IBM-Ichthyop), and used groupers (genus Mycteroperca) as functional group. The hydrodynamic output from ROMS was compared with satellite data and showed good agreement with observed surface fields. Eggs were released, in IBM experiments, from April to September along six years (2002-2007) in five MPAs along the ECS. Intrannual variability in recruitment and self-recruitment of grouper larvae was observed, as well as a negative correlation of these population parameters with total Kinetic Energy (KE) used as a metric of the physical environment. Higher KE leads to increased offshore advection of larvae, reduced total recruitment and connectivity of MPAs. Our results indicate high and uni-directional connectivity between MPAs from north to south influenced by the Brazil Current flowing in the same direction. Results also showed that some MPAs act predominantly as "sink" while others are mainly "source" areas.

Connectivity of Marine Protected Areas and Its Relation with Total Kinetic Energy.

Projected wave storm conditions under the RCP8.5 climate change scenario in the North Atlantic Ocean

The connectivity between reef areas in the East Continental Shelf (ECS) of Brazil was investigated with a hydrodynamic model (ROMS) and an Individual Based Model (IBM - Ichthyop), using groupers (genus Mycteroperca) as functional group. The hydrodynamic outputs from ROMS used as physical forcings by Ichthyop was compared with satellite data and showed good agreement. IBM experiments were realized releasing eggs from April to September along six years (2002 - 2007) in five groups of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) along the ECS. An intra-annual variability of recruitment and self-recruitment of grouper larvae was observed, as well as a negative correlation between these population parameters with total Kinetic Energy (KE) in the region. Higher KE is related to higher larval advection to offshore regions and a lower total recruitment and connectivity on coastal MPAs. Our results suggest a high and directional connectivity between MPAs, occurring from north to south with potential influence of Brazil Current which flows in this direction. Some MPAs act predominantly as "sink" areas, and others as "source" areas. Palavras-chave: biophysical modeling, reef fish, larvae dispersal, total kinetic energy, modelagem biofisica, peixe recifal, dispersao de larva, energia cinetica total.

/pdf/connectivity-of-marine-protected-areas-using-biophysical-18blybciz0.pdf

Connectivity of marine protected areas using biophysical modelling

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Connectivity of Marine Protected Areas and Its Relation with Total Kinetic Energy.

Projected wave storm conditions under the RCP8.5 climate change scenario in the North Atlantic Ocean

Connectivity of marine protected areas using biophysical modelling