Abstract
Hundreds of fish species are harvested in coral-reef fisheries in the Indo-Pacific region using a variety of fishing gears. This diversity makes the economics, ecology, and management of reef-associated fisheries inherently complex. However, across insular fisheries spanning the tropical Pacific, one species consistently dominates contemporary fisheries catch: the bluespine unicornfish (Naso unicornis, Acanthuridae). I evaluated the relative contribution of N. unicornis to commercial fisheries in the insular Pacific region from long-term (>1 year) fishery surveys across various jurisdictions and provide evidence of the contemporary cultural value of this species. Overall, evidence suggests that N. unicornis is the most commercially-valuable reef-associated fish species across the insular Pacific. This notion, coupled with a diverse representation of N. unicornis across Pacific cultures, suggests that the species is presently underappreciated in its role in coastal fisheries across Pacific Island nations.
Highlights
Coral-reef fisheries are highly diverse and provide protein or income for nearly one billion people worldwide
In the Indo-Pacific region, reef-associated fisheries target as many as 300 + fish species using a wide variety of gears and techniques, which may change seasonally and are often linked to specific gear types
Across the Pacific, the likeness of N. unicornis is frequently used in national postage stamps, company and event logos, indigenous artwork, and even as school mascots. Such contemporary uses highlight its iconic status throughout the Pacific Islands, likely owing to its value as a food fish, its relatively large size (>60 cm maximum length), and its unique appearance punctuated by a prominent cephalic horn
Summary
Coral-reef fisheries are highly diverse and provide protein or income for nearly one billion people worldwide. Harvested species vary in ecological value and function, encompassing most trophic levels represented on a coral reef. Selection preference for species is largely a function of socio-economic and biological forces, such as demand and marketability, availability, ease of capture, and fish body size [1,2]. For these reasons, fisheries on coral reefs are considered challenging to characterize, study, and manage. Despite the diversity that characterizes reef fishery harvests, most coral reef-associated fisheries are generally dominated in mass by a small minority of species [3,4]
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