Rocky reef fish assemblage structure in coastal islands of Southern Brazil

Rocky reef fish assemblage structure in seven coastal islands of Southern Brazil was characterized by underwater visual census (20 m x 2 m transect method 40 m2), average depth of six meters, to obtain density (fish/40 m2) and biomass (grams/40 m2). Fish species were categorized according to their trophic category and geographical distribution. In total, 526 strip transects were performed, covering an area of 21,040 m2, totaling 19,377 individuals (means of 36.83 fish/40 m2 and 1,790.23 g/40 m2), distributed among 73 species from 34 families. Among these, 60% of the species occur in the western Atlantic, 20% are transatlantic and 9.60% occur only in the Brazilian Province. The species Stegastes fuscus was the most frequent and with highest density. Acanthurus chirurgus showed the highest biomass, followed by S. fuscus. Itacolomis Island presented the highest density, 48.18 fish/40 m2, followed by Veado Island with 43 fish/40 m2. Regarding biomass, Itacolomis Island and Pedra da Baleia were the most representative with mean values of 3,253 and 3,028 g/40 m2, respectively. Mobile invertebrate predator was the trophic category with the highest density, represented by 26% of species registered, also having the highest density (12.57 fish/40 m2). Mobile invertebrate showed the highest biomass (780.48 g/40 m2). Our results indicated that despite the similarity in taxonomic composition between islands, there are differences in density and biomass, highlighting singular assemblage structures, whether by environmental and/or anthropogenic factors, and dominated by few species, both in density and biomass

Valuable but vulnerable: Over-fishing and under-management continue to threaten groupers so what now?

Among threats to marine species, overfishing has often been highlighted as a major contributor to population declines and yet fishing effort has increased globally over the past decade. This paper discusses the decadal reassessment of groupers (family Epinephelidae), an important and valuable group of marine fishes subjected to high market demand and intense fishing effort, based on IUCN criteria. Allowing for uncertainty in the status of species listed as Data Deficient, 19 species (11.4%) are currently assigned to a “threatened” category. This first reassessment for a large marine fish taxon permits an evaluation of changes following the original assessments, provides a profile of the current conservation condition of species, identifies the challenges of assessing con- servation status, and highlights current and emerging threats. Measures needed to reduce threats and lessons learned from conservation efforts are highlighted. Present threats include intensifying fishing effort in the face of absent or insufficient fishery management or monitoring, growing pressures from international trade, and an inadequate coverage in effectively managed, sized, or located protected areas. Emerging threats involve expansion of fishing effort into deeper waters and more remote locations, shifts to previously non-targeted species, increases in the capture, marketing and use of juveniles, growing demands for domestic and interna- tional trade, and, potentially, climate change. Those species most threatened are larger-bodied, longer-lived groupers, most of which reproduce in spawning aggregations

Fishing groupers towards extinction: a global assessment of threats and extinction risks in a billion dollar fishery

University of Hong Kong; IUCN; Tom Haas; New Hampshire Charitable FoundationGroupers are a valuable fishery resource of reef ecosystems and are among those species most vulnerable to fishing pressure because of life history characteristics including longevity, late sexual maturation and aggregation spawning. Despite their economic importance, few grouper fisheries are regularly monitored or managed at the species level, and many are reported to be undergoing declines. To identify major threats to groupers, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria were applied to all 163 species. Red List assessments show that 20 species (12%) risk extinction if current trends continue, and an additional 22 species (13%) are considered to be Near Threatened. The Caribbean Sea, coastal Brazil and Southeast Asia contain a disproportionate number of Threatened species, while numerous poorly documented and Near Threatened species occur in many regions. In all, 30% of all species are considered to be Data Deficient. Given that the major threat is overfishing, accompanied by a general absence and/or poor application of fishery management, the prognosis for restoration and successful conservation of Threatened species is poor. We believe that few refuges remain for recovery and that key biological processes (e.g. spawning aggregations) continue to be compromised by uncontrolled fishing. Mariculture, through hatchery-rearing, increases production of a few species and contributes to satisfying high market demand, but many such operations depend heavily on wild-caught juveniles with resultant growth and recruitment overfishing. Better management of fishing and other conservation efforts are urgently needed, and we provide examples of possible actions and constraints

Fishing groupers towards extinction: a global assessment of threats and extinction risks in a billion dollar fishery

Groupers are a valuable fishery resource of reef ecosystems and are among those species most vulnerable to fishing pressure because of life history characteristics including longevity, late sexual maturation and aggregation spawning. Despite their economic importance, few grouper fisheries are regularly monitored or managed at the species level, and many are reported to be undergoing declines. To identify major threats to groupers, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria were applied to all 163 species. Red List assessments show that 20 species (12%) risk extinction if current trends continue, and an additional 22 species (13%) are considered to be Near Threatened. The Caribbean Sea, coastal Brazil and Southeast Asia contain a disproportionate number of Threatened species, while numerous poorly documented and Near Threatened species occur in many regions. In all, 30% of all species are considered to be Data Deficient. Given that the major threat is overfishing, accompanied by a general absence and/or poor application of fishery management, the prognosis for restoration and successful conservation of Threatened species is poor. We believe that few refuges remain for recovery and that key biological processes (e.g. spawning aggregations) continue to be compromised by uncontrolled fishing. Mariculture, through hatchery-rearing, increases production of a few species and contributes to satisfying high market demand, but many such operations depend heavily on wild-caught juveniles with resultant growth and recruitment overfishing. Better management of fishing and other conservation efforts are urgently needed, and we provide examples of possible actions and constraints