A dynamic model of fish for the management of herbivory on coral reefs

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A population model of the stoplight parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) was developed to support the management of reef resilience. The model is in discrete-time and structured by size and habitat occupation, and simulates the abundance of S. viride as a function of natural mortality, individual growth, and recruitment. The model was developed and calibrated with a time series of S. viride abundance in Bonaire (Southern Caribbean). With parameter values derived from the literature, the model was able to reproduce the size distribution of the parrotfish population of Bonaire. With the calibrated model, we then explored the ability of the parrotfish population to recover from a depleted stock by simulating a fishing disturbance similar in proportion to the one experienced by S. viride in Bermuda (Northern Caribbean) before a fishery ban was implemented. The calibrated model simulated a full recovery at a much lower speed (3 times slower) than observed in Bermuda. Thus, this preliminary model may become a useful tool for the exploration of fishing and conservation scenarios on herbivory and reef resilience in the Caribbean.