Species diversity, biomass and community structure of cephalopods off Adang-rawi Archipelago, Thailand

The cephalopod fauna off the off Adang-Rawi Archipelago, Thailand, and adjacent areas, was investigated between December 1998 and April 1999 during the northeast monsoon season. Four families of cephalopods were found, namely Loliginidae (Loligo duvauceli, L. chinensis, Loliolus sumatrensis and Sepioteuthis lessoniana), Sepiidae (Sepiella inermis, Sepia aculeata, S. pharaonis, S. lysidas, S. brevimana and S. recurvirostra), Sepiolidae (Euprymna stenodactyla), and Octopodidae (Octopus spp.). The average catch rate and biomass were 4.34 kg h−1 and 320.66 t, respectively. The highest catches were in February (5.32 kg h−1; 382.57 t), December (4.10 kg h−1; 314.33 t) and April (3.61 kg h−1; 265.07 t). Diversity measures were applied and three assemblages recognized, i.e., the western side of Tarutao Island, north and south of Adang-Rawi Archipelago. Salinity was the best-fitting environmental parameter and correlated with biotic pattern in the survey area

Regulation and Fisheries Management for Fisheries Refugia in Thailand

This report is under the SEAFDEC/UNEP/GEF Project on “Establishment and Operation of a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand”Thailand is one of the six countries participating in the project entitled “Establishment and Operation of a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand”. The fisheries regulations and fisheries management plans will be support and consistency for fisheries management of Indo-Pacific mackerel in Trat Province and blue swimming crab in Surat Thani Province. Moreover, the Establishment and Operation of a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand is one of management measure under 2nd objective, to rebuild marine biodiversity.UNEP/GE

National Reviews on Reforms of National Legislation for Responsible Fisheries Relating to Fisheries Refugia: Thailand

This report is under the SEAFDEC/UNEP/GEF Project on “Establishment and Operation of a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand”This report aims to review the reformed national legislation for responsible fisheries relating to fisheries refugia which are supportive to the management schemes in the priority fisheries refugia sites in Thailand. In addition, the report provides the current ministerial, provincial, and municipal regulations issued under the reformed national fisheries laws which have been enforced in the fisheries refugia sites. This can be considered as the data set of best practice approaches and measures for responsible fisheries and fisheries refugia management planning in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand.UNEP/GE

FISHERIES REFUGIA PROFILE FOR THAILAND: TRAT

This report is under the SEAFDEC/UNEP/GEF Project on “Establishment and Operation of a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand”This paper presents the profile of fisheries refugia for Indo-Pacific mackerel in Trat Province of Thailand.UNEP/GE

Fisheries Refugia Profile for Thailand: Surat Thani

This report is under the SEAFDEC/UNEP/GEF Project on “Establishment and Operation of a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand”Ban Don Bay is one of the Fisheries Refugia sites located in Surat Thani. This site is where and blue swimming crabs are under the fisheries regulations and fisheries management plans. This technical report aimed at providing baseline information of the fisheries Refugia site in Surat Thani Province, comprising its geographic location, site information, and priority species information. The contents were obtained from field surveys and aerial photography, community interviews, literature reviews, and other evidential documentations regarding Koh Sed, Ban Don Bay, and Surat Thani Province. The report is expected to be holistically area-based information on fisheries resources and their related surroundings which would be usable not only for the fisheries Refugia project implementation and evaluation, but also for the other community-based coastal research and development programs in the area.UNEP/GE

NATIONAL GUIDELINES FOR ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF FISHERIES REFUGIA: THAILAND

This report is under the SEAFDEC/UNEP/GEF Project on “Establishment and Operation of a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand”Thailand’s National Guidelines for the Establishment and Operation of Fisheries Refugia were developed during the implementation of the regional project on the Establishment and Operation of a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand. They provide the concept of fisheries refugia with its goal and objectives, and the consecutive establishing processes which focus on fishery and ecosystem linkages. Apart from fisheries refugia, the information on marine fisheries of Thailand and their existing management schemes are also included in the Guidelines as the supplementary background.UNEP/GE

Phylogeny of the Sepia pharaonis species complex (Cephalopoda: Sepiida) based on analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data

The pharaoh cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis Ehrenberg, 1831, is a commercially fished species found from Japan to East Africa. Previous morphological and genetic work (the latter based on the 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene) suggested that S. pharaonis is a species complex, but relationships within the complex remained unresolved. To clarify these relationships, we have sequenced an additional mitochondrial gene region (cytochrome oxidase subunit I) and a nuclear gene region (rhodopsin) from over 50 specimens from throughout the range of S. pharaonis. We have also added sequence data from two specimens of Sepia ramani Neethiselvan, 2001, collected in southeastern India. Sepia ramani is a species that is morphologically very similar to S. pharaonis, and there is some question regarding its status as a distinct species. Phylogenetic analyses of a dataset comprising all three-gene regions revealed a monophyletic S. pharaonis complex consisting of a western Indian Ocean clade, a northeastern Australia clade, a Persian Gulf/Arabian Sea (‘Iranian’) clade, a western Pacific clade and a central Indian Ocean clade. Relationships among these clades remain somewhat poorly supported except for a clade comprising the Iranian clade, the western Pacific clade and the central Indian Ocean clade. One S. pharaonis specimen was collected in the Arabian Sea, but was found to be a member of the western Indian Ocean clade, suggesting that gene flow between these regions has either occurred recently or is ongoing. Both specimens of S. ramani are members of the S. pharaonis complex, but their mtDNA haplotypes are not closely related – one is a member of the central Indian Ocean clade, while the other is rather distantly related to the northeastern Australia clade. We suggest that ‘S. pharaonis’ may consist of several species, but morphological work is needed to clarify species-level taxonomy within this complex

Phylogeography of the pharaoh cuttle Sepia pharaonis based on partial mitochondrial 16S sequence data

The pharaoh cuttle Sepia pharaonis Ehrenberg, 1831 (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Sepiida) is a broadly distributed species of substantial fisheries importance found from east Africa to southern Japan. Little is known about S. pharaonis phylogeography, but evidence from morphology and reproductive biology suggests that Sepia pharaonis is actually a complex of at least three species. To evaluate this possibility, we collected tissue samples from Sepia pharaonis from throughout its range. Phylogenetic analyses of partial mitochondrial 16S sequences from these samples reveal five distinct clades: a Gulf of Aden/Red Sea clade, a northern Australia clade, a Persian Gulf/Arabian Sea clade, a western Pacific clade (Gulf of Thailand and Taiwan) and an India/Andaman Sea clade. Phylogenetic analyses including several Sepia species show that S. pharaonis sensu lato may not be monophyletic. We suggest that ‘‘S. pharaonis’’ may consist of up to five species, but additional data will be required to fully clarify relationships within the S. pharaonis complex

Phylogeography of the Pharaoh Cuttle \u3ci\u3eSepia pharaonis\u3c/i\u3e Based on Partial Mitochondrial 16S Sequence Data

The pharaoh cuttle Sepia pharaonis Ehrenberg, 1831 (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Sepiida) is a broadly distributed species of substantial fisheries importance found from east Africa to southern Japan. Little is known about S. pharaonis phylogeography, but evidence from morphology and reproductive biology suggests that Sepia pharaonis is actually a complex of at least three species. To evaluate this possibility, we collected tissue samples from Sepia pharaonis from throughout its range. Phylogenetic analyses of partial mitochondrial 16S sequences from these samples reveal five distinct clades: a Gulf of Aden/Red Sea clade, a northern Australia clade, a Persian Gulf/Arabian Sea clade, a western Pacific clade (Gulf of Thailand and Taiwan) and an India/Andaman Sea clade. Phylogenetic analyses including several Sepia species show that S. pharaonis sensu lato may not be monophyletic. We suggest that “S. pharaonis” may consist of up to five species, but additional data will be required to fully clarify relationships within the S. pharaonis complex