The Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) is a leader in coral reef conservation science, delivering high-caliber, peer-reviewed science in support of coral reef conservation and management in the southeast region of the United States. Some of the main drivers of SEFSC's coral reef science program include the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which governs the conservation and management of coral-reef associated fisheries, and The Endangered Species Act which protects species in danger of extinction (including 7 Atlantic corals and the Nassau grouper).
This annual accomplishments report provides information on the activities and accomplishments of SEFSC projects funded by the Coral Reef Conservation Program in Fiscal Year 2015.
In Fiscal Year 2015, CRCP supported 11 SEFSC-led projects. While most projects continued to address fishing impacts or the status and recovery of protected coral species, SEFSC also investigated recreational fishing effort in the US Caribbean, and the recovery of spawning aggregations in Florida and the US Caribbean. SEFSC also continued to support the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, the multi-agency, multi-line office effort monitoring the status and trends of the nation's coral reefs. New activities included a project to determine coral larval competency to assist with coral population modeling, and a new facet of ongoing parrotfish research focused on the US Virgin Islands that investigated the interplay among parrotfish populations, their dietary preferences and feeding behaviors, and how these behaviors impacted habitat for coral larval settlement. In addition, the SEFSC continued to work with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to monitor effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the southeast US Atlantic region.
Acknowledgements: SEFSC gratefully acknowledges funding support from NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program.
Citation: SEFSC Coral Reef Program: FY 2015 Project Accomplishments Report. Compiled by Jennifer Schull. NOAA Technical Memorandum. NMFS-SEFSC-704, 32p.
