Effects of an artisanal fishery on non-spawning grouper populations

摘要: Many populations of groupers (Teleostei: Serranidae) are overfished, partly because most species form spawning aggregations that temporally and spatially predictable therefore easily targeted by fisheries. However, grouper fisheries operate year-round, thus there can also be high mortality during non-spawning periods. We investigated the impact fishing around Anguilla, British West Indies, on a commercially important grouper, red hind Epinephelus gutta- tus, non-breeding season. combined information spatial intensity fishery with underwater surveys to test for associations between fish size density across 19 sites. Red was unrelated but hinds were larger in areas more intensively fishers. While these results might taken suggest has no negative impacts demographics, we present evidence from markets this season is high. A variety mechanisms may mask site-specific hinds. In particu- lar, fishers move among sites track abundance body size, thereby making it difficult detect