Here's the Hawai'i Department of Aquatic Resources 2010 report to the Legisltaure if anyone's interested. (I'm looking forward to the next DAR report next year, I've heard in 2010, 2011 and 2012 both the number of Yellow tangs collected and the over all population increased.)
http://files.hawaii.gov/dlnr/reports-to-the-legislature/2010/dar/DAR10-Hawaii-Fisheries-2010.pdf
Page 8 list's the Researchers and institutions conducting the surveys and the refference outlining the survey criteria. To quote from the report "To briefly summarize: Densities of all fish and selected invertebrate species are visually estimated along four 25X4m strip transects at each of 23 permanent sites in the three types of management areas. All survey divers either have extensive experience in conducting underwater fish surveys in Hawai'i or received training through the UH‟s Quantitative Underwater Ecological Survey Techniques (QUEST) training course prior to collecting data (Hallacher and Tissot, 1999). In addition to the transect surveys, a 10 minute "free - swim‟ survey is also conducted by two divers in the areas surrounding the actual transects. The purpose of this survey is to better census uncommon or rare species and species of particular ecological interest such as taape, roi, terminal phase parrot fish, cleaner wrasses and crown-of-thorns starfish. All sites are surveyed at least four times a year. As of December 2009, a total of 55 survey rounds of all study sites have been completed (>5,000 transects). Six rounds were conducted prior to FRA closure in 1999."
What I find concerning is in the apparent inverse relationship in the populations of certain fish with regards to Yellow Tangs in the FRAs (Fish Replenishment Areas). Quoting from page 11 "Yellow Tang density increased markedly (and significantly) in the FRAs while seven of 10 decreased (Achilles Tang, Multiband Butterflyfish and Brown Surgeonfish decreased significantly)." Since 2002 the Achilles Tang population has been consistently higher in the open areas to collection than in the FRAs. If further research bears out this relationship we might have a situation where we have to remove a specific percentage of the Yellow Tang population each year to preserve these other species*. At the very least this certainly shows just how complex this issue is.
*(This is reminds me somewhat of the problem we have in Texas with Whitetail Deer. We've eliminated their ecological controls, Mountain Lions, wolves and Screwworm Flies {the fly lays eggs on the umbilicus and the maggots eat the fawns alive} and now large ranches are given qoutas of how many dear have to be killed to prevent animals from starving to death.)
http://files.hawaii.gov/dlnr/reports-to-the-legislature/2010/dar/DAR10-Hawaii-Fisheries-2010.pdf
Page 8 list's the Researchers and institutions conducting the surveys and the refference outlining the survey criteria. To quote from the report "To briefly summarize: Densities of all fish and selected invertebrate species are visually estimated along four 25X4m strip transects at each of 23 permanent sites in the three types of management areas. All survey divers either have extensive experience in conducting underwater fish surveys in Hawai'i or received training through the UH‟s Quantitative Underwater Ecological Survey Techniques (QUEST) training course prior to collecting data (Hallacher and Tissot, 1999). In addition to the transect surveys, a 10 minute "free - swim‟ survey is also conducted by two divers in the areas surrounding the actual transects. The purpose of this survey is to better census uncommon or rare species and species of particular ecological interest such as taape, roi, terminal phase parrot fish, cleaner wrasses and crown-of-thorns starfish. All sites are surveyed at least four times a year. As of December 2009, a total of 55 survey rounds of all study sites have been completed (>5,000 transects). Six rounds were conducted prior to FRA closure in 1999."
What I find concerning is in the apparent inverse relationship in the populations of certain fish with regards to Yellow Tangs in the FRAs (Fish Replenishment Areas). Quoting from page 11 "Yellow Tang density increased markedly (and significantly) in the FRAs while seven of 10 decreased (Achilles Tang, Multiband Butterflyfish and Brown Surgeonfish decreased significantly)." Since 2002 the Achilles Tang population has been consistently higher in the open areas to collection than in the FRAs. If further research bears out this relationship we might have a situation where we have to remove a specific percentage of the Yellow Tang population each year to preserve these other species*. At the very least this certainly shows just how complex this issue is.
*(This is reminds me somewhat of the problem we have in Texas with Whitetail Deer. We've eliminated their ecological controls, Mountain Lions, wolves and Screwworm Flies {the fly lays eggs on the umbilicus and the maggots eat the fawns alive} and now large ranches are given qoutas of how many dear have to be killed to prevent animals from starving to death.)
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I've been active in the MO sustainability subject for as long as I can recall so seeing new players interests me a lot 
