The salt domes that create the Flower Garden Banks NMS support spectacular coral communities that are renowned throughout the world. Recent research revealed several vulnerable banks outside the current sanctuary boundaries leading the Sanctuary Advisory Counsel to propose boundary expansions and the creation of a research only area. Nico created socioeconomic profiles to help managers mitigate impacts to the three users, commercial fishermen, charter fishermen and dive boat operators. Demographic, cost and earning, knowledge attitude and perception as well as spatial activity (landings, person days, effort) were analyzed to reveal areas of economic importance. The profiles will be used in a spatial decision support tool that will allow the users to create their own boundary expansion alternatives and view the potential impacts. It will also be used in a post-implementation study to observe the actual socioeconomic impact is to users. Nico also helped created survey materials for a valuation study of Puerto Rico’s coral reefs, wrote technical document summaries and attended many meetings.
Nico Hernandez (MA, 2014)
