Variation in coral reef fisheries production, employment, and living wage goals

Variability in fish production among fringing and island reef systems was explored for the influences of effort-stock-catch-revenue relationships and sustainability. Fisheries independent fishable biomass, recovery rates, taxonomic composition, and fisheries dependent metrics of effort, catch rates, and revenue were analyzed in an ocean exposed fringing reef (high production) and an ocean sheltered island reef environments (low production). Recovery rates of fish biomass in closures and catch rates supported the differential production predictions with the fringing reef fish biomass production rate r of 0.22 ± 0.12 (± 95%CI) and the island reefs of 0.07 ± 0.03, which potentially produces 5.6 ± 0.91 and 2.8 ± 0.3 tons/km ² /y at MSY respectively. Both reef types had high effort and yields below MSY indicating overfishing by fisheries independent and dependent metrics. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that production and sustainability were bounded by minimum acceptable or opportunity cost income thresholds rather than the reef’s natural productivity. For example, the higher production fringing reefs had lower biomass, exhibited higher production/biomass (P/B) turnover rates, and faster declining per area yields than the lower production island reefs. Fishing effort declined over the ~ 34-month study period to stabilize Catch-per-Unit Effort (CPUE) in both reef types to income values between the national poverty and minimum individual income thresholds. The more productive fringing reefs had a greater yield deficit than the sheltered reefs and would require a larger reduction in daily fishing effort (40% versus 15%) to achieve sustainability at censused stock levels. The less productive island reefs had considerable disproportionate losses of key vulnerable schooling taxa that resulted in a 25% yield deficit relative to the predicted potential yield. Protecting fish aggregations in the island and reducing fishing effort in both reef systems should increase catch production and wealth. Stock recovery that is required to recover production is likely prevented by rising fish prices and resource extraction subsidies that reduce income losses.