No‐take marine reserves (NTMR) are increasingly being implemented to mitigate the effects of fishing on coral reefs, yet determining the efficacy of NTMRs depends largely on partitioning the effects of fishing from the effect of benthic habitat. Species of coral‐reef fishes typically decline in density when subjected to fishing or benthic disturbances, but this is not always the case. This study documents the long‐term (8–31 y...

The effects of no‐take marine reserve (NTMR) protection and changes in benthic habitat on fusiliers (family Caesionidae) were investigated at four small Philippine offshore islands on time scales of 10–31 years. Fusiliers are highly mobile, schooling, medium‐sized planktivorous fish that generally feed “off‐reef.” For these reasons, and given the small size of the NTMRs (3.6–37.5 ha) in this study, it was predicted that fusili...

Quantifying the extent to which existing reserves meet conservation objectives and identifying gaps in coverage are vital to developing systematic protected‐area networks. Despite widespread recognition of the Philippines as a global priority for marine conservation, limited work has been undertaken to evaluate the conservation effectiveness of existing marine protected areas (MPAs). Targets for MPA coverage in the Philippines...