FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department - Monitoring and management of the humphead wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus

Monitoring and management of the humphead wrasse, <em>Cheilinus undulatus</em>

FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular. No. 1048

Monitoring and management of the humphead wrasse,
Cheilinus undulatus

by
Robert Gillett
Consultant
Lami, Fiji

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Rome 2010

ABSTRACT

Gillett, R.
Monitoring and management of the humphead wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus.
FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular. No. 1048. Rome, FAO. 2010. 62p.

The humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus is a small but important part of the international trade in live reef food fish, being one of the highest species in unit value. The main threats of the live reef food fish trade to the sustainability of the species are overfishing and the effects of destructive fishing on the target species, non-target species and on the reef environment. In 2004 the humphead wrasse was listed on Appendix II of CITES. With the listing, international trade is only permitted if the export will not be detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild. For fisheries resources, in general, this requirement has been interpreted to mean that in the exporting country there must be a functional management plan and associated monitoring. In this context this report discusses the core elements of a management system for humphead wrasse, making considerations about major fisheries management objectives, management measures, enforcement, monitoring and fisheries assessment.

Table of Contents


1. INTRODUCTION
2. LIVE REEF FISH FISHERIES
	2.1 Target species of the live fish trade
	2.2 Fishing activities
	2.3 The trade
	2.4 Socio-economic importance of the live reef food fish trade
	2.5 Main threats to sustainability
3. CITES REGULATION ON TRADE OF LISTED AQUATIC SPECIES
	3.1 General CITES information
	3.2 Non-detriment finding
	3.3 Relationship of CITES requirements with other internationally agreed instruments
	3.4 Linkages between CITES National Authorities and Fisheries Agencies
4. HUMPHEAD WRASSE BIOLOGY
	4.1 Distribution, habitat and ecology
	4.2 Abundance and population status
	4.3 Reproduction
	4.4 Age, growth and mortality
	4.5 Recruitment
5. FISHERIES MANAGEMENT: IDEALS AND REALITIES
	5.1 Principles and ideals
	5.2 Some realities
	5.3 Suggestions for the way ahead
6. GUIDELINES
	6.1 Stock identification and management units
	6.2 Management objectives, reference points and indicators
	6.3 Management measures
	6.4 Enforcement issues
	6.5 Monitoring and data collection
	6.6 Assessments
	6.7 Feedback and Review
7. CONSIDERATIONS ON SINGLE SPECIES MANAGEMENT
8. A MANAGEMENT REGIME FOR THE HUMPHEAD WRASS
9. CONCLUDING REMARKS
	9.1 Monitoring and management
	9.2 Is the humphead wrasse exportable?
10. REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING
Annex 1: Terminology used by CITES and other sources of relevance to humphead wrasse
Annex 2: A stock assessment approach for the humphead wrasse in Indonesia

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The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of FAO.

ISBN 978-92-5-106622-5

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