Management of Marine Resources in the Mesoamerican Reef Ecoregion

This thesis investigates the application of a range of tools to marine resource management problems, and understanding their capabilities and limitations, with a particular focus on the Mesoamerican reef (MAR) ecoregion. In chapter two, I reconstruct landed catches within the Honduran fisheries to assess trends within different fishing sectors and identify the importance of small-scale fisheries to the Honduran economy. In chapter three, I test three different tools with the capability of assigning fish to specific fish stocks. Here I assess their ability to assign individual fish to their fishing ground at small spatial scales on the model species Ocyurus chrysurus (yellowtail snapper) and identify that morphometric analysis was not only the most accurate but also the most time-efficient, and cost-effective tool. In chapter four, I use a panel of microsatellite markers to assess the genetic structure of colonies of Acropora cervicornis (staghorn coral) on three banks within a protected area, and identify genetic structure despite low genetic diversity. These findings reinforce the importance of including genetic diversity within restoration initiatives, through ensuring the potential for evolutionary processes in adapting to changing environmental conditions. In chapter five, I conduct a fine-scale genetic analysis on a small parcel of Rhizophora mangle (red mangrove) forest, using single-nucleotide polymorphisms. I identify higher levels of genetic structure than previously considered at this scale within these ecosystems and demonstrate the importance of these findings to spatial planning and restoration initiatives. In chapter six, I conduct a review of the current management of mangroves throughout the MAR ecoregion. Geopolitical differences exist between the four countries, and differences in the perception of threats between Ramsar site managers and researchers, which elicit specific needs to promote management of mangroves at the national and regional scale. Finally, I conclude the thesis with a general discussion of how the methods and findings of the previous chapters can be applied to marine resource management, and the caveats that should be considered when implementing them as part of a management strategy