The spawning aggregation (SPAGs) of reef fish represent a critical phase in many fish specie life history that are local and commercial important.  In many of these species, such as the grouper and snapper, the spawning aggregation gathers hundreds up to thousands individuals in a relatively small space.  The spawning predictability is especially attractive to fishermen.  Even though, fishing at this time can lead to a rapid overexploitation and extermination, since a great number of individuals could be removed in a few days or weeks, and the population recovery could take decades.

Besides, many species that aggregate to spawn have long life cycles with slow growing, and late maturity and they present complex reproductive life histories. As the spawning aggregation probably represents the annual reproductive charge for most species, the total o partial population loss, rapidly depress local populations, particularly if they depend upon local egg and larva sources.

Finally, the SPAGs over fishing can implied economic difficulties and negative social consequences for local communities and industries that depend on these sites, for their food as well as their income sources during fish non-reproductive periods.  Therefore it is important to reach a proper SPAG management and conservation, to avoid loss and increase or at least keep up fish resources, for local survival or commercial fishing. Fish aggregations are considered key biological events within the Resilience Model, since these important sites accomplish a refuge function along the reef for the fish associated species.

Identify and verify SPAGs’ location is a key step in order to manage it correctly and avoid over fishing. The Nature Conservancy (TNC), partner associations, governmental agencies and regional initiatives among others, have developed a standardized monitoring protocol known as “Reef Fish Sapwning Aggregation Monitoring Protocol for the Meso/American Reef and Wider Caribbean” to obtained a standard methodology to identify, verify, evaluate, monitor and manage the SPAGs a long the Mesoamerican reef.

TNC ha apoyado un proceso conjunto para el desarrollo de un protocolo de monitoreo compartido, que actualmente ha sido validado y adoptado como estándar para Belice y el resto de los países del Arrecife Mesoamericano. También se ha elaborado una base de datos para el manejo de la información generada a partir del protocolo, de tal manera que las organizaciones pueden compartir el análisis de los datos tanto a nivel local como regional. Después de seis años de generación de información de algunos sitios, tres años de monitoreo a nivel nacional y cerca de tres años del cierre, es momento de hacer una evaluación crítica de los datos y de la estrategia de monitoreo con miras hacia un manejo adaptativo.

TNC has supported a joint process to develop a shared monitoring protocol, currently validated and adopted as Belize standard and the other meso-american countries. A data base has also been designed to manage the information generated by this protocol, in such a way that organizations are able to share data analysis at local as well as regional level.  After generating information, in some sites during a six year period, and a three year monitoring process at national level and after nearly three years from closing time, it is now the time to make a data critical and monitoring strategy evaluation looking forward an adaptative management.

In 1996, TNC started to use primary sources to place spawing aggregation sites. As the first steps for potential sites identification, fishermen were interviewed in many coast towns in Belize. These sites were assessed as an initiative of the “Voice of the Fisherman”, developed by TNC under the PROARCA/Coast Program with USAID support.  Since 1998, the spawing site monitoring was based on a visual submarine census. Along with its local partners, TNC has helped to the understanding of multi-species SPAG function in Beliz, giving the background to declare the closing to the fishing activities in the SPAG areas, in 11 new marine reserves in Belize. Moreover a monitoring and information exchange agreement was also settled. TNC is a legal member of the National Sapwning Aggregation Working Committee and it is engaged to provide technical and financial support to this group and to reach their joint objectives.  Belice SPAG group’s work, together with other organizations, is focused on the SPAG site monitoring, on awareness campaigns and on training and research initiatives. The TNC Mesoamerican Reef Program (MAR) gives support to similar groups, in Mexico and Honduras, currently under development process. The target is to develop a regional coordinated group to work on the Mesoamerican Reef SPAG issues.

To protect SPAGs and their species, knowledge about their reproductive life cycle and its dynamic is required. This includes information about where and when species spawned, like how they get to their SPAG sites, as well as how long they stay there. Therefore to protect in an appropriate and effective way those individuals and sites, global knowledge about specie life cycle in their adult phase is required, including their external reproductive stages.  Besides, differences associated to sex and related to movement and site residency patterns, should be known; specially those that affect individual vulnerability to over-fishing and the reproductive cycle.

TNC has started a conventional acoustic trace program. Research has been started to establish the connectivity level among many spawning sites through the Mesoamerican Reef; especially in Belize. It was in Belize that the individual vulnerability level to fishing inside and outside the sites was measured.

The program was designed to assess the distance of the individual potential movement or journey outside the spawning areas. MAR program has recently completed the Tagging Program analysis, which will help to guide future efforts. The acoustic program data have shown enough information about certain species, they suggest that large distance movements are minimal and that high level of residency and site fidelity prevail. On the contrary, at least one individual evidences that large distance migrations are possible. Information gathered in this research effort may be employed to establish vulnerability in the marine protected areas planning, conservation and design.

Currently MAR program has three “platform” sites in the Mesoamerican Reef where the SPAGs work is being carried out together with local organizations, like Friends of Nature in Belize Coral Reef Fund in Honduras and Sian Ka’an’s Friends in Mexico. During a three year period TNC has provided technical and financial support to Friends of Nature to monitoring the Gladden Spit site. In Mexico and Honduras SPAG monitoring programs have been designed and they are going to be implemented next season.