Fish assemblages along the coasts of Tunisia: a baseline study to assess the effectiveness of future Marine Protected Areas
Published:
May 23, 2018
Keywords:
Underwater visual census (UVC) Marine Protected Areas South Mediterranean Tunisia
Abstract
The present study investigated coastal fish assemblages, using Underwater Visual Census (UVC) transects, in Tunisia (south Mediterranean basin). The rationale behind this work is to get i) a suggestive evidence about the status of fish assemblages, and ii) baseline data at 3 locations in Tunisia where 3 MPAs will be established, before the implementation of protection measures. At each location, we used a sampling design where fish censuses were performed in two types of zone: zones that will be inside MPAs, and zones that will remain outside. On the whole, 49 taxa belonging to 19 families were censused. Data reveal clear symptoms of overfishing, especially in terms of dominance of small- and medium-sized individuals of commercially relevant species. Our analyses, moreover, did not show any significant difference in whole fish assemblage structures (considering both density and biomass), patterns of average species richness, total fish density and biomass, density and biomass of different trophic categories of fishes, size distribution of commercially relevant species, between future-protected and unprotected zones. Overall, results suggest that 1) current fish assemblages at the three studied locations are likely to be seriously impacted by fishing activities, and 2) these data could be used as reliable baselines to assess the effectiveness of protection measures within the MPAs that will be established in the future. Our study is the first in Tunisia, and in North African coasts, that assessed distribution patterns of coastal fish assemblages by means of UVC, using a formal spatially replicated sampling design for resource management.
Article Details
- How to Cite
-
BEN LAMINE, E., GUIDETTI, P., ROMDHANE, M. S., & FRANCOUR, P. (2018). Fish assemblages along the coasts of Tunisia: a baseline study to assess the effectiveness of future Marine Protected Areas. Mediterranean Marine Science, 19(1), 11–20. https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.14206
- Issue
- Vol. 19 No. 1 (2018)
- Section
- Research Article
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Aburto-Oropeza, O., Ezcurra, E., Moxley, J., Sánchez-Rodríguez, A., Mascareñas-Osorio, I. et al., 2015. A framework to assess the health of rocky reefs linking geomorphology, community assemblage, and fish biomass. Ecological Indicators, 52, 353-361. DOI : 10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.12.006.
Anderson, M.J., 2001. Permutation tests for univariate or multivariate analysis of variance and regression. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 58, 626-639.
Bell, J.D., Harmelin-Vivien, M., 1983. Fish fauna of French Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows-2. Feeding habits. Tethis, (11), 1-14 pp.
Bergseth, B.J., Williamson, D.H., Russ, G.R., Sutton, S.G., Cinner, J.E., 2017. A social-ecological approach to assessing and managing poaching by recreational fishers. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 15, 67-73. doi:10.1002/fee.1457
Bianchi, C.N., Morri, C., Chiantore, M., Montefalcone, M., Parravicini, V. et al., 2012. Mediterranean Sea biodiversity between the legacy from the past and a future of change. p. 1–55. In: Life in the Mediterranean Sea: a look at habitat changes. Stambler N. (Ed.). New York, NY: Nova Science Publishers,
Bonaldo, R.M., Pires, M.M., Junior, P.R.G., Hoey, A.S., Hay, M.E., 2017. Small Marine Protected Areas in Fiji Provide Refuge for Reef Fish Assemblages, Feeding Groups, and Corals. PloS ONE, 12, e0170638.
Caldwell, Z.R., Zgliczynski, B.J., Williams, G.J., Sandin, S.A., 2016. Reef fish survey techniques: assessing the potential for standardizing methodologies. PLoS ONE, 11 (4), e0153066. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0153066
CAR/ASP - PNUE/PAM, 2014. Elaboration d’un Plan de Gestion pour l’Aire Marine et Côtière Protégée des îles Kuriat (Tunisie) - Phase 1: Bilan et Diagnostic. Par Thetis-Cabinet Sami Ben Haj. Ed. CAR/ASP - Projet MedMPAnet, Tunis: 72 p + annexes
CAR/ASP - PNUE/PAM, 2015. Elaboration d’un Plan de Gestion pour l’Aire Marine et Côtière Protégée des îles Kuriat (Tunisie) - Phase 2: Gestion de l’AMCP, définition des objectifs et planification des opérations. Par Thetis-Cabinet Sami Ben Haj. Ed. CAR/ASP - Projet MedMPAnet, Tunis: 56 p + annexes
Coll, M., Piroddi, C., Steenbeek, J., Kaschner, K., Ben Rais Lasram, F. et al., 2010. The Biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea: Estimates, Patterns, and Threats. PLoS ONE, 5 (8), e11842. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0011842
Di Franco, A., Bussotti, S., Navone, A., Panzalis, P., Guidetti, P., 2009. Evaluating effects of total and partial restrictions to fishing on Mediterranean rocky-reef fish assemblages. Marine Ecology Progress Series 387, 275-285. doi:10.3354/meps08051
Di Franco, A., Thiriet, P., Di Carlo, G., Dimitriadis, C., Francour, P. et al., 2016. Five key attributes can increase marine protected areas performance for small-scale fisheries management. Scientific Reports, 6, 38135. doi:10.1038/srep38135
Edgar, G.J., Stuart-Smith, R.D., Willis, T.J., Kininmonth, S., Baker, S.C. et al., 2014. Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features. Nature, 506, 216-220. doi:10.1038/nature13022
Froese, R., Pauly, D. (Eds), 2017. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, (06/2017 )
García-Charton, J.A., Williams, I.D., Ruzafa, A.P., Milazzo, M., Chemello, R. et al., 2000. Evaluating the ecological effects of Mediterranean marine protected areas: habitat, scale and the natural variability of ecosystems. Environmental Conservation, 27, 159-178.
García-Charton, J.A., Pérez-Ruzafa, Á., 2001. Spatial pattern and the habitat structure of a Mediterranean rocky reef fish local assemblage. Marine Biology, 138, 917–934. doi:10.1007/s002270000524
Giakoumi, S., Scianna, C., Plass-Johnson, J., Micheli, F., Grorud-Colvert, K. et al., 2017. Ecological effects of full and partial protection in the crowded Mediterranean Sea: a regional meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 7. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-08850-w
Guidetti, P., 2002. The importance of experimental design in detecting the effects of protection measures on fish in Mediterranean MPAs. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 12, 619-634.
Guidetti, P., Sala, E., 2007. Community-wide effects of marine reserves in the Mediterranean Sea. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 335, 43-56.
Guidetti, P., Baiata, P., Ballesteros, E., Di Franco, A., Hereu, B. et al., 2014. Large-Scale Assessment of Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas Effects on Fish Assemblages. PLoS ONE, 9, e91841. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0091841
Halouani, G., Ben Rais Lasram, F., Khalfallah, M., Zeller, D., Pauly, D., 2015. Reconstruction of Marine Ficheries Catches of Tunisia (1950-2010). Working Paper Series. Fisheries Centre. The University of British Columbia, 12 p.
Harmelin-Vivien, M., Harmelin, J., Chauvet, C., Duval, C., Galzin, R. et al., 1985. Evaluation visuelle des peuplements et populations de poissons: méthodes et problèmes. Revue d’ écologie, 40, 467-539.
Harmelin-vivien, M., Le Direach, L., Bayle-Sempere, J., Charbonnel, E., Garcia-Charton, J. et al., 2008. Gradients of abundance and biomass across reserve boundaries in six Mediterranean marine protected areas: Evidence of fish spillover? Biological Conservation, 141, 1829-1839. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2008.04.029
Huntington, B.E., Karnauskas, M., Babcock, E.A., Lirman, D., 2010. Untangling Natural Seascape Variation from Marine Reserve Effects Using a Landscape Approach. PLoS ONE, 5, e12327. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0012327
IUCN, 2017. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2017-1. <http://www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 12 May 2017.
La Mesa, G., Salvati, E., Agnesi, S., Tunesi, L., 2017. Assessment of coastal fish assemblages before the establishment of a new marine protected area in central Mediterranean: its role in formulating zoning proposal. Mediterranean Marine Science, 18, 11. doi:10.12681/mms.1788
McClanahan, T.R., Mangi, S., 2000. Spillover of Exploitable Fishes from a Marine Park and Its Effect on the Adjacent Fishery. Ecological Applications, 10, 1792-1805. doi:10.1890/1051-0761(2000)010[1792:SOEFFA]2.0.CO2
Mellin, C., Aaron MacNeil, M., Cheal, A.J., Emslie, M.J., Julian Caley, M., 2016. Marine protected areas increase resilience among coral reef communities. Ecological Letters, 19, 629-637. doi:10.1111/ele.12598
Pauly, D., Christensen, V., Dalsgaard, J., Froese, R., Torres, F. Jr., 1998. Fishing down marine food webs. Science, 279, 860-863.
Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans and University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. 2016. The Science of Marine Protected Areas (3rd edition, Mediterranean). www.piscoweb.org. 22 pages.
Pelletier, D., Claudet, J., Ferraris, J., Benedetti-Cecchi, L., Garcìa-Charton, J.A., 2008. Models and indicators for assessing conservation and fisheries-related effects of marine protected areas. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 65, 765-779. doi:10.1139/f08-026
Prato, G, Thiriet, P, Di Franco, A, Francour, P., 2017. Enhancing fish Underwater Visual Census to move forward assessment of fish assemblages: An application in three Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas. PLoS ONE, 12 (6), e0178511. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0178511
Sala, E., Ballesteros, E., Dendrinos, P., Di Franco, A., Ferretti, F. et al., 2012. The Structure of Mediterranean Rocky Reef Ecosystems across Environmental and Human Gradients, and Conservation Implications. PLoS ONE, 7, e32742. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0032742
Sala, E., 2004. The Past and Present Topology and Structure of Mediterranean Subtidal Rocky-shore Food Webs. Ecosystems, 7, 333-340. doi:10.1007/s10021-003-0241-x
Sandin, S.A., Smith, J.E., DeMartini, E.E., Dinsdale, E.A., Donner, S.D. et al., 2008. Baselines and Degradation of Coral Reefs in the Northern Line Islands. PLoS ONE, 3, e1548. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001548
Seytre, C., Francour, P., 2014. A long-term survey of Posidonia oceanica fish assemblages in a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area: emphasis on stability and no-take area effectiveness. Marine and Freshwater Research, 65, 244. doi:10.1071/MF13080
