title: Effects of Gear Restriction on the Abundance of Juvenile Fishes along Sandy Beaches in Hawai'i.
abstract: In 2007, due to growing concerns of declines in nearshore fisheries in Hawai'i, a ban on gillnets was implemented in designated areas around the island of O'ahu in the main Hawaiian Islands. Utilizing a 17 year time-series of juvenile fish abundance beginning prior to the implementation of the gillnet ban, we examined the effects of the ban on the abundance of juveniles of soft-bottom associated fish species. Using a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) sampling design, we compared the abundance of targeted fishery species in a bay where gillnet fishing was banned (Kailua, O'ahu), and an adjacent bay where fishing is still permitted (Waimānalo, O'ahu). Our results show that when multiple juvenile fish species were combined, abundance declined over time in both locations, but the pattern varied for each of the four species groups examined. Bonefishes were the only species group with a significant BACI effect, with higher abundance in Kailua in the period after the gillnet ban. This study addressed a need for scientific assessment of a fisheries regulation that is rarely possible due to lack of quality data before enactment of such restrictions. Thus, we developed a baseline status of juveniles of an important fishery species, and found effects of a fishery management regulation in Hawai'i.
authors.affiliation: Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Mary K
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6855-0197
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Donovan
authors.affiliation: Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America.|Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society, Washington, DC, United States of America.
authors.forename: Alan M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Friedlander
authors.affiliation: Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America.|Fundacion In-Nova, Castilla la Mancha, Toledo, Spain.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Usseglio
authors.affiliation: Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Whitney
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Goodell
authors.affiliation: Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ily
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Iglesias
authors.affiliation: Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Schemmel
authors.affiliation: Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America.|Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
authors.forename: Kostantinos A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Stamoulis
authors.affiliation: Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Filous
authors.affiliation: Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jonatha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Giddens
authors.affiliation: Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kamikawa
authors.affiliation: Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Haruko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.affiliation: Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kaylyn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McCoy
authors.affiliation: Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Christopher B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Wall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D005398:Fisheries; D005399:Fishes / Q000502:physiology*; D005843:Geography; D006254:Hawaii; D016014:Linear Models; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors