Human‐induced gradients of reef fish declines in the Hawaiian Archipelago viewed through the lens of traditional management boundaries

• Published in: Aquatic conservation 2018-02, Vol.28 (1), p.146-157
• Main Authors: Friedlander, Alan M., Donovan, Mary K., Stamoulis, Kostantinos A., Williams, Ivor D., Brown, Eric K., Conklin, Eric J., DeMartini, Edward E., Rodgers, Kuulei S., Sparks, Russell T., Walsh, William J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abundance; archipelago; Archipelagoes; Biodiversity; Biomass; Boundaries; conservation evaluation; Conversion factors; Density stratification; ecological status; Fish; Fish populations; Fisheries; fisheries sustainability; Fishing; Frameworks; Human influences; Human population density; Human populations; Landscape; Man-induced effects; Methods; overfishing; Polls & surveys; Population density; Reef fish; reef fish production; reef fish trophic structure; Reef fishes; Reefs; Refugia; Resource management; Species; Stratification; Surveying; Surveys; Sustainability; Watersheds
• ISSN: 1052-7613; 1099-0755
• DOI: 10.1002/aqc.2832

Large declines in reef fish populations in Hawai‘i have raised concerns about the sustainability of these resources, and the ecosystem as a whole. To help elucidate the reasons behind these declines, a comprehensive examination of reef fish assemblages was conducted across the entire 2500 km Hawaiian Archipelago. Twenty‐five datasets were compiled, representing >25 000 individual surveys conducted throughout Hawai‘i since 2000. To account for overall differences in survey methods, conversion factors were created to standardize among methods. Comparisons of major targeted resource species (N = 35) between the densely populated main (MHI) and remote north‐western Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) revealed that 40% of these species had biomass in the MHI below 25% of NWHI levels. In total, 54% of the species examined had biomass