Modeling Coral Reef Fisheries in South Florida

The project proposal aims to develop a spatially explicit model of coral reef fish assemblages in the Florida Keys to understand their dynamics and assess management scenarios. It involves surveying recreational fishers, creating an agent-based model of fisher behavior, and an Ecospace model to investigate the impacts of fishing on coral reef fish assemblages. The project focuses on the critical role of fish in providing ecosystem services like food and tourism. The three-year research plan includes two main objectives:

1. Single Fisher Behavior Model: This involves creating an agent-based model using NetLogo to simulate recreational fisher behavior based on satisfaction principles. The model will use data from creel surveys in Tavernier, FL, to inform fisher decisions and categorize them into subgroups based on consumption levels.
2. Ecosystem-based Recreational Fishing Model: Using the Ecospace model, this objective will predict the impacts of recreational fishing on reef fishery assemblages, incorporating spatial dynamics and data on fish biomass and fishing pressure.

The project will provide novel data on South Florida recreational fishers and develop models for testing hypotheses and evaluating management scenarios, offering insights into fisher behavior and ecosystem impacts.