SEYCHELLES MARINE PROTECTED AREAS - COMPARATIVE STRUCTURE AND STATUS OF REEF FISH COMMUNITIES

Effective management of Seychelles' reef resources is essential becaus e the conflicting demands of fishing, tourism and conservation must be reconciled if sustainable development and the protection of natural r esources is to be assured. Marine protected areas play a key role in t he existing management strategy and yet there is little quantitative u nderstanding of the benefits they may provide. We compare the biomass and species richness of fish assemblages on coral and granitic reef ha bitats in four areas which receive different levels of protection from fishing and other human activities. Species richness of the total fis h community, biomass of the total fish community and species richness and biomass of many families were higher on both coralline and graniti c reefs in two marine protected areas where protective regulations wer e effectively enforced However, the biomass of the three principal fam ilies of fishes targeted by the fishery was significantly lower in one of these areas. This was attributed to illegal fishing and the fishin g concessions offered to local people. We conclude that poaching and m inor fishing concessions did not affect the aspects of the fish commun ity which ave important to most tourist visitors (biomass and overall species richness), but that they have a statistically significant effe ct on the structure of the fish community. Furthermore, whilst a small well-patrolled area will provide an effective refuge from fishing, it will often be stocked by larval fishes which are the progeny of adult s living many kilometres away. As such, the protected area cannot oper ate in isolation to maintain biomass and diversity. A valid longterm a im of reserve management may be to assure the protection of a greater proportion of Seychelles' fishes throughout their life history. This m ay be achieved if current plans for the management of marine protected areas can be instituted.