ESTADO DE CONSERVACIÓN DE LA ICTIOFAUNAARRECIFAL EN PARQUES NACIONALES CUBANOS: UNA REVISIÓN.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have become a key component in the conservation of marine life and habitats worldwide. In Cuba, their use has also gained momentum, particularly the National Parks, the second stricter management category in the country. Surprisingly, despite well-proven efficacy of fishes as indicators of habitat status, few studies have been conducted to assess National Parks' effectiveness in protecting the fish communities. This paper aims at analyzing the current state of knowledge and conservation status of reef fish publications about their fishes. The use of different alternatives of the visual census method undermines the comparison of reef fish assemblages among areas. Nevertheless, a common lack of big and commercially important fish species was observed in all national parks but Jardines de la Reina. Scarcity of scientific publications about reef fish assemblages in these national parks triggers the need to conduct management-oriented research that contributes to the protection and sustainability of fish communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]