Abstract:
The Madison Swanson Marine Protected Area was established to protect gag
grouper, Mycteroperca microlepis, spawning aggregations on high relief,
deepwater habitat in the Gulf of Mexico. Fishery biologists observed a decline in
the proportion of male individuals in the population. The decline led fishery
managers to question the reproductive health of the gag grouper population.
However, competing theories on gag grouper ecology led to divergent views on
the best management policy for gag grouper protection. In the end, fishery
managers chose to use the precautionary approach to implement an MPA to
protect gag grouper spawning aggregations. In this case, the precautionary
approach had consequences that should be considered when managing fisheries
in the future. I investigated the pertinent literature and participated in NOAA
research within the MPA in the summer of 2006.
