Fishery Management Plan, Regulatory Impact Review, and Final Environmental Impact Statement for Corals and Reef Associated Plants and Invertebrates of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands

The Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for corals and reef-associated plants and invertebrates includes over 100 species of coral (including stony corals, sea fans and gorgonians) and over 60 species of plants (including seagrasses) and invertebrates. The Plan covers two distinct components. The first is a fishery for live invertebrates which are marketed for the marine aquarium trade. Aside from reef-associated invertebrates, this fishery includes what is widely known as live-rock - rock substrate supporting diverse invertebrate life forms. Live-rock is highly valued by aquarists and there is a rapidly growing market for this resource. The second component of the Plan comprises corals and coral reefs. These resources are of enormous value for the reef communities that they support, for their physical capacity to protect coastlines and for their aesthetic value. Indeed traditional coastal fisheries in the Caribbean may best be characterized as coral reef fisheries intimately dependent on the backbone of habitats created by coral reefs and associated invertebrates.