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Ontogeny Of Similarity And Disparity In Length-At-Age Of Coral Reef Fishes In The Family Acanthuridae Between Marine Protected And Fished Areas, Mathias Tjarko Cramer

Theses and Dissertations

Drastic reductions in the harvestable biomass of exploited fish populations on coral reefs and other marine coastal ecosystems have been hypothesized to be a consequence of astronomical and unrelenting fishing pressures, particularly in the coastal small-scale and sustenance fisheries of the world. It has recently been proposed that the causal relationship between fishing pressure and fish biomass is rooted in the negative effects of size-selective fishing mortality, which consequently instigates directional shifts in phenotype (i.e., fishing induced evolution). To mitigate the effects of unsustainable fishing pressures, parcels of traditional fishing grounds have been designated as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). To …