{"id":19218,"date":"2025-11-21T22:12:32","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T22:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marfund2.argon83portfolio.com\/?page_id=19218"},"modified":"2026-06-24T18:15:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T18:15:29","slug":"mar-connectivity-network","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/marfund2.argon83portfolio.com\/en\/mar-connectivity-network\/","title":{"rendered":"MAR Connectivity Network"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MAR Connectivity Network<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Photo: Belize Audubon Society<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Introduction<\/strong><\/p>

Our team builds on successful five-year academic and management partnerships between CONANP (National Commission for Natural Protected Areas), ECOSUR (El Colegio de la Frontera Sur), CINESTAV (Center for Research and Advanced Studies), the NOAA-SEFSC Early Life History Unit, the NOAA-AOML Physical Oceanography Division, and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) at the University of Miami. This interdisciplinary work is generating preliminary research and management results, including assessments of larval reef fish biodiversity, distribution, and relevant coastal oceanographic dynamics.<\/p>

This includes ecologically and socioeconomically important fish for the Mesoamerican Reef System, such as snapper, grouper, parrotfish, and triggerfish. Two major questions motivate this research:<\/p>

  1. What is the level of larval dispersal and recruitment connectivity within and between the Mesoamerican Reef, the Dry Tortugas Reserve, and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary?<\/li>
  2. Is there evidence of self-recruitment within these marine reserves?<\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    Photo: Fundaci\u00f3n Albatros<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    Reef fish populations represent one of the most complex ecosystems in the marine environment. They also represent the most exploited part of the ecosystem and have been driven to extremely low levels throughout the wider Caribbean. Despite the importance of these populations, relatively little is known about most stages of their life cycles or about their interaction with oceanographic patterns at the Mesoamerican scale. Critical information is largely lacking, for example on adult spawning behavior, the location and depth of spawning aggregations, and recruitment. Furthermore, little is known about the status of these fish populations in the western Caribbean along the Mesoamerican Reef System, although reserves there are considered to have been subject to relatively limited exploitation. Additionally, there are considerable gaps in our understanding of the complex circulation patterns along the western coast of Yucat\u00e1n in the Caribbean, where the Caribbean Current and the Loop Current connect and flow into the Gulf of Mexico (see graph).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    This area plays a potentially important, though still unknown, role in the subtropical eddy circulation pathway, which drives biological production and larval transport throughout this region. This research project was designed to provide a baseline study on the fisheries oceanography of the western Caribbean during winter spawning and to lay the groundwork for future fisheries management decisions.<\/p>

    In addition to multiple coastal surveys targeting juvenile and recently settled fish habitats, oceanographic ship surveys were conducted to establish a baseline on ichthyoplankton abundance and its regional distribution along the reef. The objectives and outcomes of this collaborative project include: 1) data applied directly to the development and updating of local and regional management plans, 2) technology transfer\/training for future capacity development in local communities and academic institutions, and 3) tools and products for local government agencies, resource managers, and stakeholders.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

    The maps below show the sampling locations relative to the MPAs and the preliminary results of our 2006 fisheries oceanography survey. The abundance of grouper (Serranidae) is shown by station at different depths. Also included is the map with the 14 priority MPAs for MAR Fund.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    Since the SAM region has at least 63 coastal-marine protected areas that are part of the national protected area systems of the four countries, it was decided to work with a smaller group to build the initial network. The idea is to start with a smaller group of priority conservation areas and progressively incorporate additional areas.<\/p>

    The initial network includes 14 areas at the sites indicated in the table.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

    Regional Training Workshop on Marine Protected Areas: Connectivity in the Mesoamerican Reef. For more information on the topic of connectivity in the SAM, please visit the following sites:<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    First Regional Connectivity Workshop\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Presentations <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t
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