scholarly journals Impacts of the live reef fish trade on populations of coral reef fish off northern Borneo

2007 ◽  
Vol 274 (1612) ◽  
pp. 989-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Scales ◽  
Andrew Balmford ◽  
Andrea Manica
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Future Data ◽  
Large Coral ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Fish Trade

The live reef fish trade (LRFT) is one of the greatest but least-quantified sources of fishing pressure for several species of large coral reef fish across the Indo-Pacific. For the first time we quantify the localized impact of the LRFT. We collected data from three LRFT traders in northern Borneo, which yielded information on daily fishing effort and the species and mass of all fishes sold every day by individual fishers or vessels over 2, 3 and 8 years. Total monthly catch and relative abundance (catch-per-unit-effort) declined significantly in several species, including the most valuable species the Napoleon wrasse ( Cheilinus undulatus , estimated changes of −98 and −78% over 8 years in catch and relative abundance, respectively) and lower-value bluelined groupers ( Plectropomus oligocanthus : −99 and −81%) and Epinephelus groupers (−89 and −32%). These severe declines were rapid, species-specific and occurred in the first 2–4 years of the dataset and are, we believe, directly attributable to the LRFT. This has crucial implications for future data collection and monitoring if population collapses in other parts of the LRFT and similar wildlife trades are to be successfully detected.

scholarly journals Year-round high abundances of the world’s smallest marine vertebrate (Schindleria) in the Red Sea and worldwide associations with lunar phases

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Robitzch ◽  
Victor Molina-Valdivia ◽  
Jaiber J. Solano-Iguaran ◽  
Mauricio F. Landaeta ◽  
Michael L. Berumen
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
Seasonal Temperature ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
Lunar Phases ◽  
Spatial Differences ◽  
New Moon ◽  
Reproductive Cycles

AbstractVery little is known about the ecology and biology of the smallest marine vertebrates, fishes in the genus Schindleria. Even though over half of named Schindleria species have been identified in the Red Sea, the collection of only very few specimens has been documented. Here, we assessed abundance patterns of nearly two thousand Red Sea long dorsal fin (LDF) adults and found evidence for putative seasonal and spatial differences, likely related to differing habitat and environmental conditions. The highest abundances were outside local seasonal temperature extremes and decoupled from peaks of coral reef fish recruitment. We also found evidence for global trends in abundances related to lunar cycles using our Red Sea data and that from a recently published large collection of specimens from the DANA Expedition (1928–1930). The abundance of adult LDF Schindleria in relation to lunar phases differed significantly, with most Schindleria caught outside the full moon, and mostly during the new moon in the Red Sea and the 3rd quarter moon in the DANA collection. We further suggest that the abundances of Schindleria at coral reefs may be related to reproductive cycles and that these cycles may be timed with the moon as back-calculations of hatch dates from otoliths from the Red Sea significantly resulted after the new moon, making Schindleria the fastest-lived coral reef fish with the shortest generation times. Schindleria could be the most numerous coral reef fish in the world, for which we encourage increased research.

scholarly journals Impact of cyclones on hard coral and metapopulation structure, connectivity and genetic diversity of coral reef fish

Coral Reefs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriele Gerlach ◽  
Philipp Kraemer ◽  
Peggy Weist ◽  
Laura Eickelmann ◽  
Michael J. Kingsford
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
Population Genetic Study ◽  
Hard Coral ◽  
Great Loss ◽  
Metapopulation Structure ◽  
The Impact

AbstractCyclones have one of the greatest effects on the biodiversity of coral reefs and the associated species. But it is unknown how stochastic alterations in habitat structure influence metapopulation structure, connectivity and genetic diversity. From 1993 to 2018, the reefs of the Capricorn Bunker Reef group in the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef were impacted by three tropical cyclones including cyclone Hamish (2009, category 5). This resulted in substantial loss of live habitat-forming coral and coral reef fish communities. Within 6–8 years after cyclones had devastated, live hard corals recovered by 50–60%. We show the relationship between hard coral cover and the abundance of the neon damselfish (Pomacentrus coelestis), the first fish colonizing destroyed reefs. We present the first long-term (2008–2015 years corresponding to 16–24 generations of P. coelestis) population genetic study to understand the impact of cyclones on the meta-population structure, connectivity and genetic diversity of the neon damselfish. After the cyclone, we observed the largest change in the genetic structure at reef populations compared to other years. Simultaneously, allelic richness of genetic microsatellite markers dropped indicating a great loss of genetic diversity, which increased again in subsequent years. Over years, metapopulation dynamics were characterized by high connectivity among fish populations associated with the Capricorn Bunker reefs (2200 km2); however, despite high exchange, genetic patchiness was observed with annual strong genetic divergence between populations among reefs. Some broad similarities in the genetic structure in 2015 could be explained by dispersal from a source reef and the related expansion of local populations. This study has shown that alternating cyclone-driven changes and subsequent recovery phases of coral habitat can greatly influence patterns of reef fish connectivity. The frequency of disturbances determines abundance of fish and genetic diversity within species.

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