Preliminary Research Proposal

The Effects of Hol Chan Marine Marine Reserve, Belize on Reef Fish Communities

Background: Coral reef ecosystems are at risk world-wide from a variety of anthropogenic and natural factors.   Many countries have established marine protected areas where human activities such as fishing, tourisms, and harvesting of marine resources are limited.  The effectiveness of marine protected areas varies widely, depending on the level of enforcement and protection.

The Hol Chan Marine Reserve (http://www.holchanbelize.org/) off Ambergris Caye, Belize, was established in 1987.  The 7.8 km sq reserve includes coral reef, sea grass, and mangrove habitats.  The park is divided into four zones.  No fishing is allowed in Zone A which includes the coral reef.  Both commercial and sport fishing are allowed in Zone B which covers the sea grass beds.  Sport fishing is allowed in Zone C which includes the mangrove swamps, but commercial fishing is not allowed. 

The goal of this research project is to investigate the influence of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve on the fish community.

Research: To determine the effect of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve on the reef fish community we will sample fish abundance of two distinct communities, the coral reef and sea grass bed inside and outside of the marine park boundaries.   We will sample the fish communities using the Roving Snorkeler Technique in which pairs of observers  keep track of which species they observe during a snorkel of a given time period.  Because fish are so mobile and it is virtually impossible to keep track of individuals, we will estimate the abundance of each species using the following categories- single (1), few (2 – 10), many (11 – 100), and abundant (> 100).

            We will train participants to identify fish species in a three part process led by Dr. Mark McGinley and Dr. Kenneth Mattes.  (1) Prior to arriving for classes in Lubbock, we will introduce participants to the common fishes of the Caribbean using online resources such as REEF website and articles from the Encyclopedia of Earth.  (2) Students will participate in face to face Fish ID class while they are in Lubbock. (3) Finally, students will become familiar with identifying fishes in the field during orientation snorkeling trips in Belize.    We will assess each participant’s ability to identify fishes during all three stages of training and no participant will be allowed to conduct surveys until they shown a satisfactory level of expertise.

            We will examine the data to look for differences inside and outside the marine park at both the community (e.g., species richness and species diversity) and population (e.g., presence/absence and density of individual species) levels.  We will present a report of our findings to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve Trust Fund Committee who administers the reserve.