HOW MIGHT RECRUITMENT RESEARCH ON CORAL-REEF FISHES HELP MANAGE TROPICAL REEF FISHERIES

'Ecologic' reef fishes (basic research subjects) and 'Economic' reef f ishes (exploited by humans) share fundamental early life-history attri butes of small, widely dispersed planktonic eggs, larvae, and (for som e species in both groups) pelagic juveniles. These attributes predispo se the open populations of species in both groups to limitation result ing from environmentally induced fluctuations in recruitment from plan ktonic/pelagic to benthic stages. Rates of movement within and among r eefs, one of several postrecruitment processes likely to be subject to density-dependent regulation, may differ between Ecologics (mostly sm all-bodied) and Economics (generally larger-bodied). This is because o f differences between species in the two groups in size-related differ ences in the home ranges of individuals. Existing data, however, neith er support the notion that natural growth and mortality rates basicall y differ between the adults of Ecological and Economic species, nor th at the generally larger home ranges of larger-bodied adult Economics a re more subject to density-dependent control. Further, the small-bodie d young-of-year juveniles of both groups on average probably have simi lar growth and mortality rates and small individual home ranges that a re equivalently affected by density dependence. In conclusion I argue that, because of fundamental similarities in the sizes and durations o f planktonic propagules and spawning periodicities, certain Ecologics and Economics may comprise a single recruitment guild. Coefficients of growth and mortality for postsettlement Ecologics also may resemble, and be applied as preliminary proxies for, analogous coefficients for Economic species. The efficacy of management strategies such as harves t refugia may differ for Ecological and Economic species, however, dep ending on whether the refugia are used to counter growth or recruitmen t overfishing.