Abstract
The humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus is an iconic, ecologically important and Endangered fish species associated with coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. Due to its large size and complex life history characteristics, it is vulnerable to overfishing and has undergone substantial population declines in parts of its range. Knowledge of the species’ movement ecology is currently limited to only 2 previous studies, and very little is known about populations in the western Indian Ocean. The present study aimed to use passive acoustic telemetry to investigate the importance of a remote coral reef to a population of humphead wrasse in the Republic of Seychelles, and subsequently assess the efficacy of a proposed marine protected area at this location for protection of the species. Tagged fish (n = 20) exhibited persistent (>500 d) site fidelity, with low dispersal distances (mean ± SD: 6.44 ± 4.0 km) and restricted core activity spaces (50% Brownian bridge kernel utilization density: 0.91 ± 0.61 km2). Additionally, the study site was home to a group of large (total length 97.9 ± 20.6 cm) and currently unexploited humphead wrasse that showed long-term predictable site fidelity and thus could be vulnerable to over-exploitation. The establishment of a proposed no-take marine protected area at the study site would encompass the core home range area of all tagged humphead wrasse and could effectively conserve this stronghold of Endangered fish to ensure the persistence of the species in Seychelles waters.
Highlights
The humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus is one of the largest fish species associated with coral reefs in the world and plays a key role in fisheries and
The slow growth, long life span and complex reproductive strategies of the species contribute to its vulnerability to fishing pressure, and it is listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Sadovy et al 2003, Russell 2004, Choat et al 2006)
Throughout its range, from the Red Sea and western Indian Ocean into the Indo-Pacific, it has been subject to heavy fishing pressure, and evidence from the western Pacific and southeast Asia has shown that humphead wrasse populations are quickly depleted by commercial fishing practices (Sadovy et al 2003)
Summary
The humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus is one of the largest fish species associated with coral reefs in the world and plays a key role in fisheries and Publisher: Inter-Research · www.int-res.comEndang Species Res 42: 7–20, 2020 and changing from female to male at approximately 65−80 cm TL (Sadovy et al 2003, 2010, Liu & Sadovy de Mitcheson 2011). Throughout its range, from the Red Sea and western Indian Ocean into the Indo-Pacific, it has been subject to heavy fishing pressure, and evidence from the western Pacific and southeast Asia has shown that humphead wrasse populations are quickly depleted by commercial fishing practices (Sadovy et al 2003). Such overfishing is primarily driven by the high economic value of humphead wrasse, as it is one of the most sought-after species in the live reef food fish trade (Sadovy & Daves 2006, Wu & Sadovy de Mitcheson 2016). While populations have been decimated across much of its range, previous surveys suggest that Seychelles may be a key area for the species (Friedlander et al 2014, Keating Daly & Daly 2017)
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