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Throughout the MAR, queen conch (Strombus gigas)

Overfishing in the MAR affects not only targeted

and spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) have important

species. It has reached a disturbing level that

economic, social and cultural value. Nevertheless,

encompasses the entire ecosystem, resulting in

overexploitation, illegal fishing, poor regulatory

major changes in natural processes and phase shifts

enforcement and lack of transboundary management

to alternative community types when key herbivores

over the last 30 years have resulted in declining

are affected. Overfishing is often not readily apparent

populations and decreases in catches. Management

due to a time lag between the time of overexploitation

of these fisheries varies throughout the region.

and the time when disruptions in ecological processes

Illegal fishing is common throughout the region and

become evident. The ecological mechanisms for

transboundary issues are largely ignored.

cascading effects from the loss of top predators to

key herbivores are not fully understood.

Indicators selected to track overfishing are related to

the presence or absence of fisheries management

Species at greatest risk in the MAR today include

interventions, fishing practices, production volumes

the groupers and snappers, queen conch and spiny

and resulting impacts on natural populations of the

lobster and secondary value reef fishes, including key

target species populations, and include:

herbivores like large parrotfishes that help maintain

clean settlement space for coral recruits.

D8 - Certified Fisheries Products

Snappers and groupers have formed the basis

D9 - Volume of Production

for commercial and recreational fisheries in the

region for decades. Traditionally exploited during

D10 - Conch Abundance

spawning periods, their populations have declined

dramatically from historic levels, and several historical

D11 - Spiny Lobster Abundance

aggregations have disappeared in the MAR region.

D12 - Protected Fish Spawning Aggregations

Declines in fish abundance and catches are attributed

to lowered populations, overexploitation, changing

Note: Fish are considered under Fish Abundance (S6) and

economic circumstances, illegal fishing, destructive

Herbivorous Fish Abundance (F11), and these indicators can

fishing methods (e.g., the use of gill nets) and lack of

also be used to evaluate the effects of fishing on commercial

regulatory enforcement.

species.

D

@ 2006 Tony Rath Photography

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