The caribbean fishery management council will work contractors to assess a fish spawning aggregation site, where fish gather for reproduction, that is a seasonally closed to fishing

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded $350,000 to the Caribbean Fishery Management Council under the Regional Fishery Management Councils program (CFDA 11.441) for a cooperative agreement effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. The award funds a comprehensive assessment of a fish spawning aggregation site at Tourmaline Reef in Puerto Rico, a seasonally closed fishing area. Working with contractors and local fishermen, the Council will quantify red hind reproductive activity and grouper abundance using multiple technologies including diver underwater visual census, stereo diver-operated video, remotely operated vehicle video, and passive acoustic monitoring. The project will also characterize habitat requirements by collecting oceanographic data on salinity, temperature, and conductivity.

The cooperative agreement is structured to build capacity and knowledge among local fishing communities by engaging them throughout the data collection process, ensuring stakeholder understanding of assessment methodologies and their application to fishery management. The quantitative and qualitative data generated will enable the Caribbean Fishery Management Council to evaluate the condition of fishery resources in the U.S. Caribbean Exclusive Economic Zone and support evidence-based revision of fishing regulations. This project exemplifies NOAA's investment in ecosystem-based fisheries management and sustainable resource stewardship in the Caribbean region.

The work will quantify red hind reproductive activity and relative abundances at tourmaline reef by measuring the abundance of groupers using multiple technologies (i.e., diver underwater visual census, stereo diver operated video, remotely operated vehicle video, and passive acoustic monitoring). The work will also help characterize the habitat requirements by collecting oceanographic information salinity, temperature, and conductivity. Additionally, the contractors will conduct the work with local fishermen so that they can learn about what information is collected, how IT is collected, and how IT will be used. The information from this work will allow the caribbean fishery management council to evaluate the condition of the fishery resources and to revise fishing regulations as needed.