A stakeholder-engaged approach to evaluating spawning aggregation management as a strategy for conserving bonefish...

Animals that congregate in large numbers to reproduce in spatially and temporally distinct locations are particularly susceptible to overexploitation. Many fishes form spawning aggregations that are intentionally targeted given ease of capture. Bonefish (Albula spp.) species aggregate to spawn and are culturally and economically important, but generally lack management such as spawning area protections to ensure that fisheries are sustainable. Here, we use Cuba as a case study to inform the development and refinement of management strategies for bonefish. Recommendations for the management of bonefish pre-spawning aggregations were based on international experiences, which have been adapted to the Cuban context from results of surveys and interviews with Cuban fisheries professionals and fishing guides. The achievability and feasibility of recommendations were further reviewed by additional experts in the field of fisheries, management and Cuban policy. The process revealed extensive data-limitations for bonefish fisheries and underscored the importance of including fishing guides, local ecological knowledge and the context of marine protected areas in Cuba for bonefish management. Recommendations include (1) initiating information exchange between Cuban management agencies and third-party institutions related to bonefish management; (2) utilizing local ecological knowledge to gather information, formulate management strategies and enforce regulations; (3) implementing spatial and temporal management measures for bonefish spawning sites; (4) using what is already in place, by protecting spawning sites in the context of existing marine protected areas; (5) collaborating with all stakeholders to manage bonefish spawning sites; and (6) reducing the commercial harvest of the species.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10641-022-01355-0.