Restoring depleted coral-reef fish populations through recruitment enhancement: a proof of concept.
To determine whether enhancing the survival of new recruits is a sensible target for the restorative management of depleted coral-reef fish populations, settlement-stage ambon damsel fish Pomacentrus amboinensis were captured, tagged and then either released immediately onto small artificial reefs or held in aquaria for 1 week prior to release. Holding conditions were varied to determine whether they affected survival of fish: half the fish were held in bare tanks (non-enriched) and the other half in tanks containing coral and sand (enriched). Holding fish for this short period had a significantly positive effect on survivorship relative to the settlement-stage treatment group that were released immediately. The enrichment of holding conditions made no appreciable difference on the survival of fish once released onto the reef. It did, however, have a positive effect on the survival of fish while in captivity, thus supporting the case for the provision of simple environmental enrichment in fish husbandry. Collecting and holding settlement-stage fish for at least a week before release appear to increase the short-term survival of released fish; whether it is an effective method for longer-term enhancement of locally depleted coral-reef fish populations will require further study.
Heenan
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A
Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK. adel.heenan@gmail.com
Simpson
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SD
Meekan
M G
MG
Healy
S D
SD
Braithwaite
V A
VA
D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size / Q000502:physiology; D057894:Coral Reefs; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods*; D010473:Perciformes / Q000502:physiology*; D016019:Survival Analysis