Baseline Survey of Ichthyoplankton in Coastal Marine Reserves: Implications for Jamaica's Fish Stock

Twelve marine reserves were recently designated as a solution to rebuilding the declining fisheries in Jamaica. While information exists on adult and juvenile fish, there is a paucity of data on ichthyoplankton in Jamaican waters. It is therefore unclear which species are utilizing different reserves or habitats within each reserve. The research is aimed at determining the distribution of ichthyoplankton within three contrasting reserves with a range of habitats so as to fill the gap. Ichthyoplankton surveys were conducted in three marine reserves: Discovery Bay, Malcolm’s Bay and Galleon Harbour. Horizontal tows were conducted using a 335µ nueston net over different substrates (hard coral, seagrass and mangrove) from February-August 2012. Zooplankton and physicochemical parameters were sampled contemporaneously to determine water quality, prey and predator densities. Preliminary analysis indicated a significant difference in density of ichthyoplankton and zooplankton across the three bays (ANOVA p≤0.001). However, ichthyoplankton density was not significantly different across substrates (ANOVA p=0.06). Families identified included Achiridae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae, Gobiesocidae, Hemiramphidae and Scaridae. Knowledge of how the types of ichthyoplankton are distributed across sanctuaries will help us more effectively incorporate these early life stages and lead to their integration into Jamaica’s fish stock protection and fishery management policies.