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P  ROT EC T ED FI SH S  PAWNIN G

D1 2

A  G G R E G AT I O N S

What

What Is It?

BENCHMARK

Identify spawning aggregation sites

Identify

Fish spawning aggregations (SPAG) are large groupings

in

in Honduras and fully protect 20-

of fish that tend to form in a defined area (e.g., near

30% of the known sites in Honduras

30%

reef promontories or sharp reef projections) strictly

and Mexico by 2015. Implement

for the purpose of breeding. Aggregations of various

management of all protected SPAGs in

fish species, including groupers, snappers and jacks,

have been observed on many promontories in the

Belize.

Belize.

MAR region throughout different times of the year.

TA R G E T

"Protected" aggregations refer to those within marine

protected areas (MPAs).

Protect

Protect at least 50% of all known SPAG

sites in each country in the MAR region

Individual fish travel long distances along the MAR reef

through the implementation of `no-take'

to gather at a specific site for spawning. Depending

zones and active management of sites.

zones

on the species, aggregations can number in the

thousands (as with snapper) or in the hundreds (as

RED FL AG

with grouper).

No

No increase in the current (2006)

percent of SPAGS that are fully

Because large variations exist among aggregations in

the region (in terms of aggregation size, seasonality,

protected.

protected.

location and spawning behavior), a simple measure

of the percentage of known aggregations that are

under some form of protection is used as a surrogate

measure of spawning success.

High levels of fishing, both within and outside of the

spawning seasons, are contributing to the continued

Why Do We Measure It?

decline in the abundance of fish at the spawning sites

-- even for some sites with full protection.

This aggregation phenomenon is a critical stage in the

life cycle of various fish species. It is also a stage in

The MAR region is believed to contain some of

which populations are most vulnerable to fishing for

the Caribbean's most viable fish aggregations for

the following reasons:

economically valuable species. One example is the

Nassau grouper, which has undergone local extinctions

· Aggregations are predictable in space and time,

throughout the Caribbean.

so that fishing pressure is concentrated during

known seasons (generally November to February

Although  protection  of  these  aggregations

for grouper, and May to July for snapper);

encompasses only one phase of their full life cycle, it

is the most critical in terms of preventing overfishing

· Aggregations are large groupings that are easily

during a time of increased vulnerability. Such protection

targeted for fishing;

allows the optimization of spawning events, which

helps ensure the persistence of future generations.

· General fish behavior can be more aggressive

during spawning, leaving fish more susceptible to

How Do We Measure It?

fishing at this time; and

Fish spawning aggregations have been identified in

· Aggregations are composed mostly of the adult

Mexico, Belize and Honduras using a combination

breeding individuals that are large in size and,

of traditional knowledge of fishers in the region and

therefore, represent greater catch returns per unit

scientific information (e.g., bathymetry, currents, and

effort of fishing.

temperature signals of upwelling). Some of these

spawning grounds have now been placed under a

In many cases in Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and

certain level of protection against overharvesting.

several cases in the MAR, aggregations of fish have

been known to stop forming because of the severe

This indicator is calculated by identifying the number

decline in fish numbers due to harvesting activities.

of protected spawning aggregations, then expressing

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