448
12 Species Case Studies
12.8.3 Fishery
The squaretail coralgrouper is intensively fi shed throughout much of its range and
taken with a wide variety of gears, including net, spear and hook and line (Rhodes
et al . 2008 ) . In multi-species aggregations, it often occurs in the shallowest areas
and hence is particularly accessible to spearfi shers, amongst others (YS, personal
observation 2006) As a direct consequence of fi shing, squaretail coralgrouper has
undergone localized population-level declines in Palau, Pohnpei, Kiribati, Indonesia,
Papua New Guinea, Maldives and the Solomon Islands, among other locations
according to anecdotal and fi shery observations (Hamilton and Matawai 2006 ; Chan
et al. 2008 ; Rhodes and Tupper 2008 ; Being Yeeting, personal communication
2007, www.SCRFA.org database). Much of this decline appears to be attributed to
spawning aggregation fi shing by local and foreign commercial fi shers, including the
Southeast Asia-based trade that supplies live reef fi sh to Asian markets and restaurants in which the squaretail coralgrouper is a popular species (Johannes et al. 1999 ;
Sadovy et al. 2003a, b ; Hamilton and Matawai 2006 ; Wilson et al . 2010 ) . A recent
assessment found that 70% of a squaretail coralgrouper aggregation was removed in
just 5 days as a result of aggregation-fi shing for the trade (Wilson et al. 2010 ) . In
Pohnpei, individuals were fully recruited into the fi shery at age 4 years. The species
is not commercially produced in hatcheries.
12.8.4 Management and Conservation
Similar to other aggregating Indo-Pacifi c groupers, there is very little management
specifi c to squaretail coralgrouper. In Palau, a sales ban is in place during most of
the species’ reproductive season, with the exception of August. In Pohnpei, the
sales ban covers only two months of the 5-month spawning season. In both locations,
many ripe fi sh are taken outside the ban period when aggregations occur. (Palau
Conservation Society 2010 ) . Palau also has a catch ban to coincide with the sales
ban, again with the exception of August, and a year-round export ban on live fi sh.
Both countries have marine protected areas (MPA) protecting spawning aggregation
sites. In Palau, spatial protection is in place at nine known spawning aggregations as
a result of either national and state legislation or traditional fi shing bans ( bul ) as
either permanent or seasonal MPAs (Johannes et al. 1999 ) . Among commercial
catches in Pohnpei, 76% of squaretail grouper females in a recent study were below
the reported 50% size of sexual maturity, while only 3% of the total landings were
mature squaretail coralgrouper males (Rhodes and Tupper 2007 ) , suggesting that
size-at-catch restrictions could benefi t this population. As a consequence of dramatic, fi sheries-induced reductions in population size at a number of locations, the
IUCN Red List Authority has designated squaretail coralgrouper as vulnerable
(Chan et al. 2008 ) .
12 Species Case Studies
12.8.3 Fishery
The squaretail coralgrouper is intensively fi shed throughout much of its range and
taken with a wide variety of gears, including net, spear and hook and line (Rhodes
et al . 2008 ) . In multi-species aggregations, it often occurs in the shallowest areas
and hence is particularly accessible to spearfi shers, amongst others (YS, personal
observation 2006) As a direct consequence of fi shing, squaretail coralgrouper has
undergone localized population-level declines in Palau, Pohnpei, Kiribati, Indonesia,
Papua New Guinea, Maldives and the Solomon Islands, among other locations
according to anecdotal and fi shery observations (Hamilton and Matawai 2006 ; Chan
et al. 2008 ; Rhodes and Tupper 2008 ; Being Yeeting, personal communication
2007, www.SCRFA.org database). Much of this decline appears to be attributed to
spawning aggregation fi shing by local and foreign commercial fi shers, including the
Southeast Asia-based trade that supplies live reef fi sh to Asian markets and restaurants in which the squaretail coralgrouper is a popular species (Johannes et al. 1999 ;
Sadovy et al. 2003a, b ; Hamilton and Matawai 2006 ; Wilson et al . 2010 ) . A recent
assessment found that 70% of a squaretail coralgrouper aggregation was removed in
just 5 days as a result of aggregation-fi shing for the trade (Wilson et al. 2010 ) . In
Pohnpei, individuals were fully recruited into the fi shery at age 4 years. The species
is not commercially produced in hatcheries.
12.8.4 Management and Conservation
Similar to other aggregating Indo-Pacifi c groupers, there is very little management
specifi c to squaretail coralgrouper. In Palau, a sales ban is in place during most of
the species’ reproductive season, with the exception of August. In Pohnpei, the
sales ban covers only two months of the 5-month spawning season. In both locations,
many ripe fi sh are taken outside the ban period when aggregations occur. (Palau
Conservation Society 2010 ) . Palau also has a catch ban to coincide with the sales
ban, again with the exception of August, and a year-round export ban on live fi sh.
Both countries have marine protected areas (MPA) protecting spawning aggregation
sites. In Palau, spatial protection is in place at nine known spawning aggregations as
a result of either national and state legislation or traditional fi shing bans ( bul ) as
either permanent or seasonal MPAs (Johannes et al. 1999 ) . Among commercial
catches in Pohnpei, 76% of squaretail grouper females in a recent study were below
the reported 50% size of sexual maturity, while only 3% of the total landings were
mature squaretail coralgrouper males (Rhodes and Tupper 2007 ) , suggesting that
size-at-catch restrictions could benefi t this population. As a consequence of dramatic, fi sheries-induced reductions in population size at a number of locations, the
IUCN Red List Authority has designated squaretail coralgrouper as vulnerable
(Chan et al. 2008 ) .