449
12 Species Case Studies
12.8.5 Challenges to Monitoring and Management
Squaretail coralgrouper are important components of subsistence and commercial
fi sheries, and proper management and conservation are needed for regional economic and food security. Like many other aggregating groupers, the squaretail
coralgrouper is highly vulnerable to overfi shing especially because of the apparent ease in locating and overexploiting spawning aggregations. The species is
challenging to monitor because it can aggregate in many months of the year and
numbers can vary substantially both between months and during a single lunar
phase (Johannes et al. 1999 ; Pet et al. 2005 ; Rhodes and Tupper 2008 ; KLR
unpublished data; Chap. 9 ).
As with many remaining transient aggregating species, spawning sites are
often remote from human communities and widely dispersed, thereby creating
challenges for monitoring fi shing activities and enforcing site-based fi shing regulations. Nonetheless, a combination of aggregation-based MPAs and seasonal
catch restrictions, when properly monitored and enforced, can be valuable management tools. The existence of reproductive migratory corridors for squaretail
coralgrouper in Pohnpei shows the need for their inclusion into aggregation-based
MPAs (Rhodes and Tupper 2008 ) . Larger scale MPAs around spawning sites may
also provide protection for a greater portion of the reproductive population given
the relatively small catchment area indicated in Pohnpei (Hutchinson and Rhodes
2010). Where markets are centralized or landing sites are known, seasonal sales
and catch bans around spawning times can be effective in protecting reproductive
individuals.
Where feasible, maximum allowable size-at-catch regulations should be implemented to protect larger, more fecund, females and males. Where information and
human resources are limited, managers may want to focus on sites of highest vulnerability and utilize traditional knowledge of reproductive seasonality, subsequently verifi ed, to help design seasonal fi shing restrictions. The identifi cation of
practical points of enforcement and monitoring interdiction, such as at fi sh markets
or landing sites, can assist in reducing monitoring and enforcement costs. A combination of precautionary, adaptive, traditional and co-management approaches offers
a range of options, which should be reinforced by regular monitoring of the fi shery
and enforcement.
12.9 Leopard Coralgrouper – Plectropomus leopardus
Melita A. Samoilys
CORDIO (Coastal Oceans Research and Development – Indian Ocean)
East Africa , Mombasa , Kenya
e-mail: melita.samoilys@gmail.com
12 Species Case Studies
12.8.5 Challenges to Monitoring and Management
Squaretail coralgrouper are important components of subsistence and commercial
fi sheries, and proper management and conservation are needed for regional economic and food security. Like many other aggregating groupers, the squaretail
coralgrouper is highly vulnerable to overfi shing especially because of the apparent ease in locating and overexploiting spawning aggregations. The species is
challenging to monitor because it can aggregate in many months of the year and
numbers can vary substantially both between months and during a single lunar
phase (Johannes et al. 1999 ; Pet et al. 2005 ; Rhodes and Tupper 2008 ; KLR
unpublished data; Chap. 9 ).
As with many remaining transient aggregating species, spawning sites are
often remote from human communities and widely dispersed, thereby creating
challenges for monitoring fi shing activities and enforcing site-based fi shing regulations. Nonetheless, a combination of aggregation-based MPAs and seasonal
catch restrictions, when properly monitored and enforced, can be valuable management tools. The existence of reproductive migratory corridors for squaretail
coralgrouper in Pohnpei shows the need for their inclusion into aggregation-based
MPAs (Rhodes and Tupper 2008 ) . Larger scale MPAs around spawning sites may
also provide protection for a greater portion of the reproductive population given
the relatively small catchment area indicated in Pohnpei (Hutchinson and Rhodes
2010). Where markets are centralized or landing sites are known, seasonal sales
and catch bans around spawning times can be effective in protecting reproductive
individuals.
Where feasible, maximum allowable size-at-catch regulations should be implemented to protect larger, more fecund, females and males. Where information and
human resources are limited, managers may want to focus on sites of highest vulnerability and utilize traditional knowledge of reproductive seasonality, subsequently verifi ed, to help design seasonal fi shing restrictions. The identifi cation of
practical points of enforcement and monitoring interdiction, such as at fi sh markets
or landing sites, can assist in reducing monitoring and enforcement costs. A combination of precautionary, adaptive, traditional and co-management approaches offers
a range of options, which should be reinforced by regular monitoring of the fi shery
and enforcement.
12.9 Leopard Coralgrouper – Plectropomus leopardus
Melita A. Samoilys
CORDIO (Coastal Oceans Research and Development – Indian Ocean)
East Africa , Mombasa , Kenya
e-mail: melita.samoilys@gmail.com