As an initial step towards the implementation of an ecosystem‐based approach to management, the Caribbean Fishery Management Council has recently ratified three island‐based fishery management plans that will supplant the existing regional plans. The newly formed management plans account for nuances among the island platforms in the U.S. Caribbean, including ecological, cultural, and social considerations. The island‐based approach represents a novel strategy among the eight fishery management councils in the United States and therefore remains an untested technique. This study evaluated the decision to separate fishery management among the island platforms by comparing fish assemblages through time in the region. The results suggest that the structure and function of fish communities are spatially driven, with little temporal influence. Combined with the ecological, cultural, and social differences among the islands, the spatial nature of the fish community data support the Caribbean Fishery Management Council decision to transition to island‐based management plans.

中文翻译：

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使用机会数据集推断美国加勒比海地区本地渔业的空间管理策略

作为实施基于生态系统的管理方法的第一步，加勒比海渔业管理委员会最近批准了三项基于岛屿的渔业管理计划，这些计划将取代现有的区域计划。新制定的管理计划考虑到了美国加勒比海岛屿平台之间的细微差别，包括生态，文化和社会因素。基于岛屿的方法代表了美国八个渔业管理委员会中的一种新颖策略，因此仍然是未经检验的技术。这项研究通过比较该地区随时间变化的鱼类组合，评估了在岛上平台之间分开进行渔业管理的决定。结果表明，鱼类群落的结构和功能是空间驱动的，几乎没有时间影响。