Marine reserves in The Bahamas and Ecuador : a scientific and socioeconomic perspective

Marine reserves are known to directly replenish overfished species. However, the\ud community-wide effects of reserves are less clear. I examined the community of coralreef\ud fishes in a large, fully protected marine reserve in The Bahamas: the Exuma Cays\ud Land and Sea Park. Visual-transect surveys provided estimates and comparisons of the\ud density and size of all fishes on reefs located both inside and outside the reserve (n = 5\ud reefs each). Apex predators were larger and more abundant inside the reserve, resulting\ud in much greater biomass there. Mid-trophic-level species had somewhat higher biomass\ud outside of the reserve, where abundance of large predators was lower. Low-trophic-level\ud species showed trends of higher biomass in the reserve. Although the community-wide\ud effects of the reserve are complex, this general pattern is consistent with the existence of\ud a trophic cascade through strong top-down effects of apex predators.\ud I also considered how subsistence-level fishing communities interact with\ud protected marine life in a marine reserve in Ecuador: the Machalilla National Park. I\ud examined the conflicting interests of park protection, fishing, and tourism. By analyzing\ud these three categories, I summarized the needs and values of each group and how they\ud interacted with each other and the environment