Recruitment of coral trout in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park: Hotspots, zoning and the sustainability of fisheries resources - David Williamson and Colin Wen

Coral trout (Plectropomus spp.) are iconic coral reef fishes that occur throughout the Indo-Pacific, and are important species for recreational and commercial fisheries, including those within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Larval coral trout settle out of the plankton onto the reef during a critical life phase known as “recruitment” Successful recruitment requires specific conditions of food and shelter, with some places on the reef preferred to others. On the Keppel Is group such “hotspots” have been found in back reef, lagoon and reef slope habitats and typically have a mix of live coral patches dispersed among coral and sand.

But what does this mean for reef management? Are hotspots important when considering zoning and sustainability?  Drs David Williamson and Colin Wen of JCU have just released a policy brief which provides detail on their work on hotspots within Project 8.2 and discusses the importance of such areas for management of the GBR.

For further information contact: david.williamson@jcu.edu.au

Project: 8.2 Do no-take marine reserves contribute to biodiversity and fishery sustainability? Assessing the effects of management zoning on inshore reefs of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park