Líneas de base y seguimiento estandarizado a largo plazo
¿Cómo sabe que sus esfuerzos para proteger las poblaciones de fauna marina y sus hábitats críticos tienen éxito? Si no se tiene un punto de partida, es difícil medir un objetivo en movimiento. Un estudio de referencia -básicamente un recuento de lo que se observa en un conjunto de lugares representativos en determinados momentos- se […]
Biología de las especies amenazadas
La determinación de la tasa de crecimiento específica de una especie, su tamaño y edad de madurez, así como su ritmo de reproducción, nos dice mucho sobre su vulnerabilidad a la explotación pesquera. Una especie de tiburón de crecimiento lento que sólo produce 4 crías cada dos años puede no ser capaz de recuperarse de […]
Spatial Ecology of Threatened Species (es translation)
Spatial ecology is the study of an organism’s use of habitats and ecosystems throughout its lifetime. A variety of factors influence spatial ecology, including, but not limited to: food availability, habitat type, season, reproductive activity, and predator avoidance. Not surprisingly, as an animal grows and ages, it will often change its pattern of habitat use. […]
Sustainable Fisheries and the Reduction of Fishing Effort (es translation)
For coastal developing countries, fishing for a range of species is often important for the livelihood, culture, and health of the human population. However, in many regions, catches are diminishing and the sizes of captured fishes is decreasing. Collecting data from fisheries can allow researchers to identify and address problems to ensure the continued health […]
Deep Sea: The Last Frontier (es translation)
Sharks and fishes that inhabit waters deeper than 150 m (500 feet) are among the least-studied species in the world’s oceans, and deep-sea fisheries often become established in these depths before any research can be conducted on the biology and ecology of the targeted animals. This is especially problematic for deep-sea species because they tend […]
Recreational Fisheries (es translation)
Many fishes desired by sport or recreational fishers are large, highly migratory species. These animals are often apex predators and indicators of ocean health. Because they are highly migratory, sport fish may be targeted by fishers in more than one country, complicating management. Belize has a long history of recreational offshore fishing, but the status […]
Socio-Economic Assessments (es translation)
Many tropical countries are data-poor when it comes to fisheries or information on marine megafauna. To fill the data gaps and support precautionary management measures, we have conducted socio-economic assessments of a range of small-scale fisheries including on reef-associated fish, sharks, Goliath grouper and deep-water fishes. Depending on the targeted group and information needed, the […]
Public Perception Assessments (es translation)
In the quest to better raise public awareness about marine wildlife and notably sharks, we have conducted outreach and education initiatives throughout Belize since 1999. From 2001 onwards, these initiatives were expanded to several other countries including Madagascar, Micronesia, Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, and Honduras. However, we needed to know whether our efforts had been effective […]
Marine Protected Areas and Big Fish (es translation)
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are increasingly used as a management tool and are considered a spatial management unit used to prohibit or restrict fishing or other destructive activities within a defined area. Although selected MPAs are fully protected, prohibiting fishing or any removal of marine wildlife, others enable multiple uses including recreational or artisanal fishing […]