ASSESSMENT OF THE STATUS OF THE COCONUT CRAB BIRGUS LATRO ON NIUE ISLAND WITH RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING AN APPROPRIATE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
| ASSESSMENT OF THE STATUS OF THE COCONUT CRAB BIRGUS LATRO ON NIUE ISLAND WITH RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING AN APPROPRIATE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY |
A Consultancy report prepared for
The Food
And Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
BY
Craig Schiller
Zoology Department, The University Of Queensland
Queensland Australia
APRIL 1992
 | SOUTH PACIFIC AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT SUVA, FIJI |
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3.1 Background
3.2 Project Description
3.3 Current Exploitation Patterns
3.3.1 Estimate of current levels of annual coconut crab exploitation
4 Population Survey Methodology
4.1 General Methods
4.2 Transect Selection and Establishment
4.3 Transect Surveys
4.4 CPUE and Absolute Density
4.4.1 Calculation of the CPUE conversion factor
4.5 Calculation of population Size
4.6 Calculation of Land Areas - Effect of Fragmentation
4.7 Statistical Analysis
5 Stock Assessment - Size, Structure and Distribution of the Coconut Crab Population
5.1 Size of the Coconut Crab Population
5.2 Structure of the Coconut Crab Population
5.2.1 Sex Ratio
5.2.2 Size Structure
5.3 Distribution of the Coconut Crab Population
5.3.1 The Influence of Coastal Proximity
5.3.2 Availability of Suitable Habitat
5.3.3 Over-Exploitation
6 Recruitment and Over-exploitation
6.1 Frequency of Recruitment and Minimum Viable Population Requirements
6.2 Minimum Viable Population and Current Levels of Exploitation
8 Conservation/Resource Management Measures
8.1 Coconut Crab Legislation - Present and Future
9.1 Proposed Programme of Follow-up Surveys/Research
9.1.1 Monitoring of Exploitation Levels
9.1.2 Monitoring of Coconut Crab Population Dynamics
9.1.3 Monitoring of Numbers of Egg-releasing Females
13.1 Appendix 1 Specifications and Text/Graphics of Plastic Size Guide
13.2 Appendix 2 Coconut Crab Educational Poster
13.3 Appendix 3 Outline of the Coconut Crab Video Movie
Figure 1 World distribution of the coconut crab
Figure 2 Map showing major coconut crab habitat categories
Figure 3 Position of population survey transects
Figure 4 Coconut crab showing thoracic length measurement
Figure 5 Male & female size frequency distributions
Figure 6 1990 & 1988 female size frequency distributions
Figure 7 Niue, Vanuatu & Christmas Isl. female size data
Figure 8 Niue, Vanuatu & Christmas Isl. male size data
Figure 9 Male and female growth curves
Figure 10 Proposed and current coconut crab sanctuaries
Table 1 Coconut crab exports to New Zealand
Table 2 Vegetation category areas, population and CPUE data
Table 3 Male and female coconut crab morphometric data
Table 4 Size class data (2mm) for female coconut crabs
Table 5 Size class data (2mm) for male coconut crabs
Plate 1 Coastal Forest
Plate 2 High Forest
Plate 3 Regenerating Forest
Plate 4 Fernland