Conservation and Mapping of Fish Migratory Corridors in the Gulf of Mexico

The Nature Conservancy is working with numerous partner institutions and researchers to increase the understanding of marine migratory species in the Gulf of Mexico, corridors, and aggregation areas as well as the barriers that impact their ability to complete their migratory cycles. Data on migration pathways and stepping stones from 9 different migratory fish species has been gathered, synthesized, and analyzed in GIS. Spatial hotspots for diversity and multi-species migratory corridors were derived to determine which regions of the Gulf are the most critical for the migration of these species. Corridors were analyzed in conjunction with the extent of spatial threats that may represent barriers for completing migratory cycles. This project provides a series of science-based recommendations to increase the viability of these populations and opportunities for conserving their capacity to migrate throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Results from this study aim at improving our capacity to assess and manage the areas that these species depend on and suggest a series of geographic priorities for restoring the habitats they use as stepping stones while migrating in the Gulf.