Development of reproductive potential in protogynous coral reef fishes within Philippine no-take marine reserves.

Empirical evidence for increases in the reproductive potential (egg output per unit area) of coral reef fish in no-take marine reserves (NTMRs) is sparse. Here, we inferred the development of reproductive potential in two species of protogynous reef fishes, Chlorurus bleekeri (Labridae: Scarinae) and Cephalopholis argus (Epinephelidae), inside and outside of Philippine NTMRs. We estimated key reproductive parameters and applied these to species-specific density and length data from 17 NTMRs (durations of protection 0-11 years) and paired fished sites (controls) in a space-for-time substitution approach.