Human Use

Numerous silver and reddish fish swim over a colorful reef
Vermilion snapper, a recreationally important fish, school at Stetson Bank. Photo: G.P. Schmahl//NOAA

Conservation Issue

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) boasts a diverse and interconnected marine environment, characterized by numerous complex habitats, offering opportunities for recreational activities such as fishing and diving. In addition to monitoring the ecosystem, which is imperative for evaluating management effectiveness, it is also important to assess how the ecosystem benefits and is used by the public. This need is amplified by accelerated climate change, which is affecting resources in new ways and at increasing rates. Understanding the ecosystem services and pressures associated with human use is essential for informed decision-making, and for proactive and effective conservation efforts.

Description

The sanctuary encompasses 17 distinct banks, spanning a total area of 160 square miles. While most of these banks aren't heavily subjected to direct human use, local and regional human activities can both place pressures on and benefit from sanctuary resources. Understanding the positive and negative effects of these human activities requires the examination of various factors, including ecological patterns and shifts associated with climate change, habitat availability, and spawning, but also public use and commercial activities. In addition to understanding the levels of human use, assessing the socioeconomic impacts associated with ecological or regulatory changes (e.g., the effects of potential changes or closures on commercial and recreational fishers and fisheries) is vital for sustainable management. Together, this information enables the evaluation of the ecosystem services provided by the sanctuary, as well as impacts on the sanctuary's delicate ecosystems that may necessitate proactive management to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of the marine environment.

Data and Analysis Needs

  1. Visitation and activity monitoring to quantify sanctuary use, including commercial (e.g., shipping, fishing) and recreational (primarily diving and fishing) activities, and understand and evaluate associated ecosystem services
  2. Benefits and impacts of research activities within the sanctuary 
  3. Socioeconomic impacts of potential changes or closures on commercial and recreational fishers and fisheries
  4. Spatial and temporal distribution of commercial and recreational fishing activity within the sanctuary
  5. Citizen science initiatives that involve the community in data collection

Potential Products

  • Visitation and activity monitoring to quantify sanctuary use, including commercial (e.g., shipping, fishing) and recreational (primarily diving and fishing) activities, and understand and evaluate associated ecosystem services
  • Benefits and impacts of research activities within the sanctuary
  • Socioeconomic impacts of potential changes or closures on commercial and recreational fishers and fisheries
  • Spatial and temporal distribution of commercial and recreational fishing activity within the sanctuary
  • Citizen science initiatives that involve the community in data collection

Supplementary Information

For more information about this assessment, contact flowergarden@noaa.gov.