flagfin angel

RAPIDCOMMERCIALAQUARIUMFISHSURVEYSIN
UPOLU,SAMOA
Areportpreparedbythe
SecretariatofthePacificCommunity(SPC)
ColetteWABNITZ
FisheriesScientist(Aquariumtrade),SPC
TonyNAHACKY
Independentconsultant
May2015
© Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) 2015
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Original text: English
CONTENTS
Contents...............................................................................................................................................................................................3
Acknowledgments............................................................................................................................................................................4
Summary..............................................................................................................................................................................................5
ListofAcronyms...............................................................................................................................................................................7
Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................................8
Historicalcontext.........................................................................................................................................................................8
Commercialassessmentofmarineaquariumfishresources........................................................................................9
Commercialsurveys................................................................................................................................................................10
Surveyaims.................................................................................................................................................................................11
Mainfindings...................................................................................................................................................................................11
2008surveys..............................................................................................................................................................................11
2015surveys..............................................................................................................................................................................11
Clams.........................................................................................................................................................................................13
Corals........................................................................................................................................................................................13
Bleachingandcrown‐of‐thornsstarfishoutbreak..........................................................................................................13
Conclusions......................................................................................................................................................................................14
References........................................................................................................................................................................................15
Appendix...........................................................................................................................................................................................16
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
TheauthorsareparticularlygratefultoJoyceSamueluAhLeongfromtheFisheriesDivision(Ministryof
AgricultureandFisheries,Samoa)forassistanceanddiscussionsleadinguptothesurveysandwhileon
island.MariaSapatuisthankedfortheprovisionofhistoricaldataandinformationontheaquarium
fisheryinSamoa.UlusapetiTiitii,LindsayChapman,IanBertram,EtuatiRopetiandespeciallyAymeric
Desurmontarealsoacknowledgedforconstructivefeedbackonapreviousdraftofthisreport.This
workwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutthevaliantassistanceinanoutofthewaterofJustinAiafi,
FatutoloIeneandMosoLesa.
ThisstudywasmadepossiblewiththefinancialassistancefromtheAustralianGovernment.Theviews
expressedhereinarethoseoftheauthorsanddonotreflecttheofficialopinionoftheAustralian
Government.ThefinancialsupportofQualityMarine,TropicalMarineCentreandMicronesia
Management&MarketingEnterprisesisalsokindlyacknowledged.Inasfarasanyreferenceinthis
reportisormaybetakentobeforpotentialcommercialreturnsuponaninvestmentinanyexisting,
contemplatedorfutureproject,noresponsibilityisundertakentoanyperson,includingSPC.
Commercialaquariumfishsurveys–Samoa‐2015
4
SUMMARY
ThecollectionandexportoffishfortheaquariumtradefromSamoafirststartedin1986andlasted
through1997,atwhichtimeamanagementdirectiveissuedbytheCabinetoftheGovernmentofSamoa
limitedactivitiesfortheaquariumtradetothecollectionandexportofliverockonly.Exportsceasedin
1999.
Underwatersurveysofavailablefishresourcesofinteresttotheaquariumtradein2008(Yeetingand
SamueluAhLeong2008)concludedthatasmallbusinessmightbeabletodevelop.Aneconomic
viabilityanalysisin2012(Sharp2012)determinedthattherewasinsufficientevidencetodemonstrate
acompetitiveedgetowarrantentranceintotheaquariumindustryandrecommendedthata
commercialsurveybeundertaken.Inlate2014,theFisheriesDivisionobtainedanofficialdetailed
proposalbyindustrytoassistSamoaindevelopingahighqualityandsustainableaquariumfish,aswell
ascoralandgiantclamaquaculture,exportsector.
Themainobjectiveofthepresentstudywastoconductunderwatercommercialsurveysofmarine
aquariumresourcesaroundUpolutoupdateandcomplementworkconductedbytheSecretariatofthe
PacificCommunity(SPC)andSamoa’sFisheriesDivisionin2008anddeterminewhetherasustainable
andviablebusinesscouldoperatefromtheisland.Specificactivitiesincluded:
1. assessingthepresenceandabundanceofflameangelfish(Centropygeloricula;tu`u`u‐tusiuli);
2. assessingthepresenceandabundanceofredhawkfish(Neocirrhitesarmatus);
3. recordingPseudanthiasandCirrhilabrusspeciesthatmaybeofinteresttothetrade;and
4. notingspeciesandcolourofcoralsandclamsthatmaybeofinterestformariculturepurposes
Allfieldworkwasundertakenbetweenthe17thand26thMarch2015.
Ineightdaysofdivingonaveragebetween5‐mand40‐mdepthswedidnotrecordasingleflame
angelfishdespitefindingamplehabitatforthisspecies.Similarly,whilePocilloporaheadssuitablefor
redhawkfishwereabundantatover50%ofthesitessurveyed,werecordedatotalofonlytwofish.
Interestingly,bothindividualswerecompletelyred,whilefishfromtheneighbouringislandsofFijiand
FrenchPolynesiapresentadistinctblackbarontheupperbody,runningalongtheedgeofthedorsal
finandtypicallyextendingjustabovetheeye.TheonlyPseudanthiasspecimenslocatedweresix
Pseudanthiaspascalus(purplequeen),allrecordedinonesingledive.
Thepresenceofflameangelfish(andredhawkfish)inabundancesthatwouldallowtheirsustainable
long‐termcollectionwascriticaltothedevelopmentofaneconomicallyviableindustryinSamoa.These
twospecieswerenotfoundonthereefandingeneralotherspeciesofinteresttothetradewerefound
tobescarce.Thefindingsofthesurveydonotsupporttheassertionthatasustainableand/orviable
industrycouldbedevelopedonisland.
Asignificantandwidespreadbleachingeventaffectingthemajorityofcoralspecies,butparticularly
thoseofthegenusAcropora,wasunderwayduringthesurvey.Compoundingthedestructiveimpactof
thebleachingeventwasanongoingextensivecrown‐of‐thornsstarfish(COT)outbreak.Interestingly,
whiletheinshorereefofNu’uteleIslandregisteredsignificantmortalityfrombothevents,thereefat
theadjacentislandofNu’uluainthesoutheastwasmostlyunaffectedatthetimeofourvisit.
Commercialaquariumfishsurveys–Samoa‐2015
5
Commercialaquariumfishsurveys–Samoa‐2015
6
LISTOFACRONYMS
COTs
Crown‐of‐thornsstarfish(Acanthasterplanci)
d‐UVC
Distance‐basedunderwatervisualcensus
GIZ
DeutscheGesellschaftfürInternationaleZusammenarbeit
PIC
PacificIslandcountry
SPC
SecretariatofthePacificCommunity
SCUBA
Self‐containedunderwaterbreathingapparatus
USA
UnitedStatesofAmerica
USD
UnitedStatesdollars
Commercialaquariumfishsurveys–Samoa‐2015
7
INTRODUCTION
Samoaconsistsoftwodormantvolcanicislands,UpoluandSavai’i,whichtogetherwithafewsmaller
adjacentislandscoveratotallandareaof2,935km2.Mostofthecountry’sreefsareseparatedfrom
landbywelldeveloped,naturalshallowlagoonsthattendtoberelativelynarrow,exceptforthenorth
coastofUpoluwherethereisanextensiveshelfarea.
Historicalcontext
Thecollectionandexportoffishfortheaquariumtradefirststartedin1986throughacompanybased
outofFaleolobythenameofExoticTropicalofSamoaforasix‐monthtrialperiod.Thecompany,
knowntoalsoownanoperationinAmericanSamoa,employed3localdiversatthetime.Mostfishwere
collectedbyhandfromshallowwaterandclosetoshore,snorkelling(Mulipola1995).ExoticTropical
Samoaceasedactivitiesin1987despitehavingobtainedaoneyearextensionperiodtoitslicense.The
industrywasrevivedattheendof1992withtheestablishmentofLefagaSeaboardLimitedoutof
Gagaifolevao.Operationswereownedbyalocalcompanyemploying3overseasand2localdiversas
fishcollectors,and3to4localwomenforpackingpriortoexport(Mulipola1995).Itwasonlylicensed
tocollectandexportfish.Collection,mainlythroughthemeansofhookahdiving,tookplaceovera
largerareathanpreviouslytargeted:fishwereinitiallycollectedfromSalelavaluonSavaiiIsland,and
Manono,ApolimaIslandsandFaleolo‐Mulifanua‐FalelataionUpoluIsland.Operationslater
concentratedaroundtheLefagaareabecauseothervillagersprohibitedthecollectionofaquarium
speciesfromtheirfishinggrounds(Mulipola1995).Inlate1993andearly1994,thegovernmentdenied
therequestsbytwooverseascompanieswithlocalagentstoharvestandexportmarineresourcesfor
theaquariumtrade.However,twonewlicenseswereissuedinlate1995andJune1996respectively,
authorizingthecompaniestocollectandexportfishaswellasawidevarietyofinvertebrates(Fa’asili
etal.1996).Aroundthesametime,LefagaSeaboardwasalsoissuedalicensetoexportalimited
numberofwildlivecorals(Fa’asilietal.1996).Thesedominatedexportsbothintermsofnumberand
value(1,677piecesforatotalofUSD4,472in1995–1996).
Availablestatisticsindicatethatatotalof5,009fishwereexportedbetweenOctober1986andMarch
1987foratotalvalueofUSD7,313(Bell1987inMulipola1995).Between1992and1993atotalof
65,527fish,mostlydamselfish,clownfishandhawkfishwereshippedtotheUnitedStatesofAmerica
(USA)(Mulipola2002).Between1993and1995,recordsshowatotalof96,036fishexportedtothe
USAforatotalvalueofUSD51,110(FisheriesDivision1994,Fa’asilietal.1995).Damselfish
contributedthemosttonumbersexported(48%),whileangelfishprovidedthegreatestreturnsper
fish.Between1995and1997atotalofonly366fishwereexported.
In1997,atwhichtimeonlyonecompanywasknowntostillbeoperational,amanagementdirective
issuedbytheCabinetoftheGovernmentofSamoalimitedactivitiesfortheaquariumtradetothe
collectionandexportofliverockonly,withaquotaof200pieces(12in.x12in.x12in.or30.5cmx
30.5cmx30.5cmindimension)percompanyperweek(Fa’asilietal.1997).Thetotalbanonthe
commercialharvestandexportofanyornamentalfishfromSamoawasimplementedasasupportfor
theYearoftheCoralReefInitiativeinthePacific(Mulipola2002).Twocompaniesweregranted
permissiontoexportliverockattheabovelistedquotain1998‐1999.Inthoseyears,theexportof
3,6901and7,526piecesgeneratedatotalvalueofUSD13,208andUSD78,8732respectively(Fa’asiliet
al.1998,FisheriesDivision1999).Whilethereissomeindicationthattwolicenseswereissuedforthe
year2000(Mulipola2002),noexportswererecordedthatyear(FisheriesDivision2000).
1ThenumberreportedherewasderivedfromthesumoflistedexportquantitiesinthetablespresentedinFisheriesDivision
reportsfortheyears1997‐1998and1998‐1999,whilethereportitselflistsatotalof3,890piecesasbeingexportedin1998.
2Thesevaluesweregeneratedbyassuminganexchangerateof1WST=0.391205696USD
Commercialaquariumfishsurveys–Samoa‐2015
8
Whileoperational,allaquariumindustryactivitiesweresubjecttolicensingandpermitting
requirements,withtheFisheriesDivisiondeterminingthetermsandconditionsunderwhichthis
fisheryoperated.Duringthattime,theFisheriesDivisionalsoundertookregularinspectionsofpacked
exportconsignments.
In2008,theSamoaMinistryofForeignAffairs,onbehalfoftheSamoaFisheriesDivision,submitteda
formalrequestforassistancetoSPCtoconductanassessmentofthemarineaquariumfishresourcesof
Upoluanddeterminewhetheravailablestocksmaysupportasustainablemarineaquariumtrade
industry.ResultsfromthesurveyworkconductedbySPCandSamoa’sFisheriesDivisionindicatedthat
thevarietyandabundanceoffishrecordedcouldsupportasmallfishery(YeetingandSamueluAh
Leong2008)3.Recommendationsincludedthatmanagementmeasureswouldhavetobeputinplaceto
controlandmonitoractivitiesifindustrywasallowedtooperate,andthataneconomicfeasibilitystudy
shouldbeundertakentoestablishthefinancialviabilityofanypotentialdevelopment(Yeetingand
SamueluAhLeong2008).Thelatterwasundertakenin2012(Sharp2012)andconcludedthatthere
wasinsufficientevidencetodemonstrateacompetitiveedgetowarrantentranceintotheaquarium
industry,despiteadvantagessuchaslowcostoffreight,andflightservicestomajormarkets.Thestudy
furthernotedthatduetolackofinformationfromtheoriginalassessment,asurveyshouldbe
undertakentodeterminewhetherSamoahasstocksofaquariumfishspeciesthatareofcommercial
interestandcanbeeconomicallyandenvironmentallysustainablyexploited.
COMMERCIALASSESSMENTOFMARINEAQUARIUMFISHRESOURCES
Inlate2014,thegovernmentofSamoareceivedanofficialdetailedproposalbyanestablished
aquariumoperatorwishingtoassistSamoaindevelopingahighqualityandsustainableaquariumfish
andaquacultureexportsector.Whilesuggestingtobestronglyanchoredincommunity‐basedactivities,
suchasmaricultureforcoralsandclamsandsnorkellingtocollectlagoonfish,thetenderalsooutlined
theneedtocollectouterreeffishonSCUBAtoensureviabilityofoperationsinthelongterm.Inits
evaluationofthesubmittedrequestaswellasdiscussionswithSPCandtheprivatesector,theFisheries
Divisionestablishedthatthefirststepshouldbeacommercialassessmentoflocallyavailableresources
ofinteresttothemarineaquariumtrade.
Figure1‐Aflameangelfish(left)(Centropygeloricula)inthewildandaredhawkfish(Neocirrhitesarmatus)(right)perchedin
aPocilloporacoralhead.Centropygeloriculaisconsideredtobeoneofthemostcolourfulandattractiveoftheangelfishspecies
commonlyfoundinthemarineaquariumtrade.(Photo:©CWabnitz)
Thehawkfishdepictedhereisthetypicalcolourmorph,displayingtheblackbandatthetopofthebody.Thetwofishspotted
inUpolulackedthisdistinctivebar.(Photo:©BGratwicke)4
3Notethatitiscurrentlystillindraftform.
4Imageusedunderthefollowinglicensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode
Commercialaquariumfishsurveys–Samoa‐2015
9
Inreviewingdataandinformationfromthepreliminarysurveysconductedin2008,itwasdecidedthat
surveysshouldfocusonspeciesthatwouldsignificantlycontributetotheviabilityofanoperation.The
keyspeciesofinterestwasidentifiedastheflameangelfish(Centropygeloriculus)(Fig.1),followedby
redhawkfish(Neocirrhitesarmatus)(Fig.1);andtoalesserextentsomewrassesandanthias
(specificallythosebelongingtothegeneraCirrhilabrusandPseudanthias).Flameangelfishare
commonlyandinsomeinstancesabundantlyfoundonPacificIslandcountries’(PICs)reefstothenorth,
south,andeastofSamoa.Therefore,wehopedtolocatethisspeciesinSamoa.The2008surveysonly
recordedfewindividuals,butweattributedthistothefactthatallworkhadbeenconductedin10mof
water,whereasthespeciesistypicallyfoundbetween15and20m.Inaddition,somelargesectionsof
coastlinewerenotsurveyedin2008.AstheoperatorthatapproachedtheSamoangovernmentalso
includedaproposaltodevelopaquacultureactivities,itwasagreedthat,whileunderwater,surveyors
wouldlookforcoralandclams,takingnoteofspeciesandcolour.Surveysitesforthisassessmentwere
chosentospanasmanycontrasting
locationsandthuscoveringasmuchofthe
circumferenceoftheislandaspossible(Fig.
2).
FieldworkwasconductedaroundUpoluby
ateamof4to5peopleusingSCUBAovera
totalof8days.Informationrecordedduring
thesedivesincludedgeneralhabitat
structure;reefprofile;generalqualitative
abundancedataforthemajorityoftargeted
speciesfortheaquariumtrade;and
quantitativedatafortheabovelistedkey
species.
Figure2–TheislandofUpolu,Samoawithcommercialfishsurvey
siteshighlightedbyorangecircles.
Commercialsurveys
Forthepurposeofthisreport,commercialsurveysaredefinedasdiveassessmentsconductedwithin
thedepthrangefromwhichornamentalspeciesaretypicallysafelycollected(0–40m),andduring
whichallspeciesofpotentialinterestforthemarineaquariumtradearerecordedandplacedinoneof
thefollowingthreecategories:
1. speciesoftargetablesizeandhighabundance–thesespeciestypicallyconstitutethemain
targetspecies;
2. specieswithsomemarketvalue,butnotcommerciallyviabletoexportontheirown(astheyare
insufficientabundancetocollectincidentallyandexportortheyarenotviabletoexportdueto
freightexpense)–suchspecieswouldnotbetargetedpersebutwouldbecollectedif
encounteredduringadive;and
3. specieswithloworvirtuallynomarketvalue(thusnotviabletoexport)–individualsobserved
onthereefaretypicallyobservedattoolargeasizeorattoolowabundancesforexample.
Marineaquariumtradecommercialsurveysaretypicallyundertakentodeterminetheviabilityof
startingabusiness.
Notethatalthoughthecategorieshighlightedaboveformtheintegralpartofcommercialsurveys
irrespectiveoflocation,theactualspecieslistedunderthesethreecategorieswillvaryfromoneplace
toanother.Factorsaffectingclassificationinclude,butarenotlimitedto,freightrates,localabundances,
observedsizes,habitatcharacteristics,etc…
Commercialaquariumfishsurveys–Samoa‐2015
10
Surveyaims
Themainobjectiveofthepresentstudywastoconductunderwatercommercialsurveysofmarine
aquariumresourcesaroundUpolutoupdateandcomplementworkconductedbySPCandSamoa’s
FisheriesDivisionin2008.Specificactivitiesincluded:
1. assessingthepresenceandabundanceofflameangelfish(Centropygeloricula;tu`u`u‐
tusiuli);
2. assessingthepresenceandabundanceofredhawkfish(Neocirrhitesarmatus);
3. recordingPseudanthiasandCirrhilabrusspeciesthatmaybeofinteresttothetrade;and
4. notingspeciesandcolourofcoralsandclamsthatmaybeofinterestformariculture
purposes
Allfieldworkwasundertakenbetweenthe17thand26thMarch2015.
MAINFINDINGS
2008surveys
Theoriginalsurveys(YeetingandSamueluAhLeong2008)wereundertakenasajointeffortbetween
SPCandtheFisheriesDivision,MinistryofAgricultureandFisheries,SamoainJune2008.Fieldwork
wasconductedatsixsites(twoformercollectionsites,twoprotectedareassitesandtworegularreef
sites)usingthedistancesamplingunderwatervisualsurveymethod(d‐UVC)5alongsix50‐mtransects.
Thesurveysenabledthetrainingof6localfisheriesofficersinfishidentificationandcensustechniques,
aswellasassessmentofsubstratestructureandtype.
Surveyorsrecordedatotalof104fishspeciesfrom12mainfishfamiliesofinteresttothemarine
aquariumtrade.Totalstockestimatesfortheislandwereextrapolatedfrommeandensitiesforeach
speciesandthetotalareaofouterfringingreef6,withtheassumptionthatthedistributionoffish
speciesisuniformaroundtheisland(YeetingandSamueluAhLeong2008).
Thereportconcludedthatthatthereisenoughvarietyofspeciesofimportanceto,andthatare
commonlyexportedfor,themarineaquariumtrade.Italsohighlightedthatanyindustrydevelopment
wouldneedtobeaccompaniedbyanadequatemanagementframeworkandaconsultativecommunity
approach.
2015surveys
Ineightdaysofdiving,onaveragebetween5‐mand40‐mdepths,wedidnotrecordasingleflame
angelfishdespitefindingamplehabitatforthisspecies.Similarly,whilePocilloporaheadssuitablefor
redhawkfishwereabundantatover50%ofthesitessurveyed,werecordedatotalofonlytwofish.
Interestingly,bothindividualswerecompletelyred,whilefishfromtheneighbouringislandsofFijiand
FrenchPolynesiapresentadistinctblackbarontheupperbody,runningalongtheedgeofthedorsal
finandtypicallyextendingjustabovetheeye(Fig.1).TheonlyPseudanthiasspecimenswelocatedwere
sixPseudanthiaspascalus(purplequeen)ononesingledive.
Asitbecameapparentthatthekeyfishwewerelookingfor(i.e.,C.loriculaandN.armatus)werenot
presentonthereef,ourcommercialassessmentwasbroadenedtoincludeotherspeciessuchasblue
tang(Paracanthurushepatus)andvariouswrassesthatmighthelpestablishorsupportabusiness.
5Thedistance‐samplingunderwatervisualcensus(d‐UVC)method(KulbickiandSarramegna1999,Kulbickietal.2000)consistsofafish
censustechniqueconductedalongatransectline,whereadiverrecordsfishbyspeciesname,abundance,bodylengthanddistancetotransect
line.Mathematicalmodelsarethenusedtoestimatefishdensity(numberoffishperunitarea)andbiomass(weightoffishperunitarea)from
thecounts.ThemethodisfullydescribedinLabrosseetal.(2002).
6ThesewerecalculatedfromclassifiedsatelliteimageryundertheNASAMillenniumCoralReefMappingProject(IMaRS‐USF,IRD2005).
Commercialaquariumfishsurveys–Samoa‐2015
11
Bananawrasse(Thalassomalutescens)werescarceandatotalofonlyfivebluetangwereseeninone
coralheadwithnoadditionalindividualslocatedinsevenadditionaldaysofdiving.Ingeneral,we
foundleopardwrasse(Macropharyngodonmeleagris)tobethesinglemostconsistentlyspottedand
abundantfisharoundUpolu.Afewareashadcollectiblequantitiesofangelfishspeciesotherthan
flames,suchasthreespotangelfish(Apolemichthystrimaculatus),lemonpeel(Centropygeflavissimus),
Herald’sangelfish(Centropygeheraldi;withablackdorsal),regalangelfish(Pygoplitesdiacanthus);as
wellasScott’swrasse,(Cirrhilabrusscottorum)andWalsh’swrasse(Cirrhilabruswalshi).However,such
areasweregenerallysmallinsize.Theislandsofftheextremeeast(Fanuatapu,Manua,Nu’ulua)and
west(Apolima)ofUpoluhadgoodnumbersofinterestingfishsuchasafewspeciesbelongingtothe
CirrhilabrusgenusandblackfinC.heraldi.However,theseislandswouldnotsupporttheregular
sustainableandviablecollectionoffishgiventhatsuitablehabitataroundtheseislandsislimited,and
thatweatherandoceanconditionsconstrainvisitingopportunities.Otherspeciesofinterestincluded
whitecheektang(Acanthurusnigricans)andmimictang(Acanthuruspyroferus),withonlyafew
individualsrecordedinthecorrectsize.SeeTable1foralistofspeciesofinterestandasummaryof
observationsforeachofthem,andAppendixIforpicturesofthesesamespecies.
Table1–Speciesoffishofinterestandminorinterestforthemarineaquariumtradeandobservationsontheirabundanceon
reefsaroundUpolu.
Commonname
Scientificname
Ofinterestforthetrade
Samoanname
Observations
Goldrimtang
Acanthurusnigricans
Pone,gaitolama,laulama
Mimictang
Acanthuruspyroferus
Pone‐i'usama
Cardinalfish
Flagfinangel
Lemonpeelangel
Apogonspp.
Apolemichthystrimaculatus
Centropygeflavissimus
Fo
Tu'u'u
Tu`u`u‐sama,tu`u`u‐lega
Yellowangel
Centropygeheraldi
Tu'u'u‐atugauli
BlueVelvetWrasseor
Scott'sWrasse
Walsh’swrasse
Cirrhilabrusscottorum
Sugale
Cirrhilabruswalshi
Sugale
Cleanerwrasse
Richardson'sreef
damsel
Regalangel
Labroidesdimidiatus
Pomachromisrichardsoni
Sugale‐mo`otai
Tu'u'u‐malaumataputa
Foundveryfewindividualsofthe
correctsize.
Foundveryfewindividualsofthe
correctsize.
Limitednumbersobserved.
Foundfewfishatlimitedlocations.
Foundtobeabundantatlimited
locations.
Theblackdorsalvariety.Found
mediumnumbersatlimited
locations.
Foundtobeabundantatlimited
locations.
Foundtobeabundantatlimited
locations.
Foundveryfewindividuals.
Foundtobeabundant.
Pygoplitesdiacanthus
Tu`u`u‐moana
Foundveryfewindividualsofthe
correctsize.
Foundtobeabundantatlimited
locations.
Foundmediumquantitiesat
limitedlocations.
Foundmediumquantitiesat
limitedlocations.
Foundfewfishatlimitedlocations.
Ofminorinterestforthetrade
Shouldertang
Acanthurusolivaceus
Pone‐apasama,afinamea
Bicolorangel
Centropygebicolor
Tu`u`u‐matamalu
Coralbeautyangel
Centropygebispinosa
Tu'u'u‐alomu
Clownwrasse
Corisgaimardi
Fijidevil
Leopardwrasse
Chrysipterataupou
Macropharyngodon
meleagris
Sugale‐mumu,sugale‐
tala`ula
Tu`u`u‐mo`ovaiuli‐sama
Sugale‐puletasi
Foundtobeabundant.
Foundtobeabundant.
Commercialaquariumfishsurveys–Samoa‐2015
12
Clams
Weonlycameacrossafewattractiveclamsperdive(withatotaloflessthan10clamsperdiveon
average),primarilyinshadesofgreenandblue.ThemainspeciesfoundonthereefaroundUpoluare
Tridacnasquamosa,T.maximaandT.noae(Fig.3).Currently,accordingtoSamoafisheriesregulations,
clamscanonlybecollectedforlocalconsumptionandneedtobelargerthan16cmand20cmacross
theshellforT.maximaandT.squamosarespectively.Assuch,noclamscanbecollectedfromthewild
andexportedforcommercialpurposes.
Figure3–MainclamspeciesfoundonreefsaroundUpolu.Fromlefttoright:Tridacnasquamosa(Photo:©In‐DepthImages
Kwajalein/www.underwaterkwaj.com);T.maxima(Photo:©CWabnitz);T.noae.(Photo:©CWabnitz)
Corals
OverallcoraldiversityaroundSamoaislow,withmostspeciesencounteredbelongingtothegenus
Acropora.Ofthespeciespresent,fewwerefoundtobeofparticularinteresttotheaquariumindustryin
termsofvarietyand/orcolour.
BLEACHINGANDCROWN‐OF‐THORNSSTARFISHOUTBREAK
Whileconductingsurveys,werecordedthatasignificantandwidespreadbleachingeventwas
underwayaffectingthemajorityofcoralspecies,butparticularlythoseofthegenusAcropora.
CompoundingthedestructiveimpactofthebleachingeventwasanongoingextensiveCOTsoutbreak.
TheinshorereefofNu’uteleIslandappearedtobeparticularlyaffectedbythesetwosimultaneously
occurringevents(Fig.4).Interestingly,thereefattheadjacentislandofNu’uluainthesoutheastwas
mostlyunaffectedatthetimeofourvisit(i.e.,onlyafewindividualcoralsappearedbleached–Fig.5).It
boastssignificantlygreaterdiversitythanatotherlocations,bothintermsofcoralsandfish,benefits
fromcoolertemperaturesandissubjectedtostrongercurrents.Atthetimeofthesurveysonlyafew
individualcoralsappearedbleached.
InresponsetothesespecificobservationstheFisheriesDivision,theDivisionofEnvironmentand
ConservationInternational,withfinancialsupportfromtheGermanAgencyforTechnicalCooperation
(GIZ‐DeutscheGesellschaftfürInternationaleZusammenarbeit),jointlysentoutaresponseteamto
monitortheextentofthedamageandcontroltheCOTsoutbreakthroughtheuseofbiosaltinjections.In
anefforttotackleandcontroltheCOTsoutbreak,theFisheriesDivisionalsocoordinatedtheremoval
anddestructionofCOTsfrom33selectedvillagereefsandlagoons,withtheactiveparticipationand
supportoflocalcommunitymembers.
Commercialaquariumfishsurveys–Samoa‐2015
13
Figure4–MassbleachingeventobservedatNu’uteleIsland.
TheimageshowcasesAcroporacoloniesintheprocessof
bleaching(inabout7mofwaterandshallower).Thereef
fromabout7manddeeperconsistedofcoloniescoveredin
algaeandwasessentiallydevoidoffishlife.
(Photo:©CWabnitz)
Figure5 – ReefatNu’uluaisland,wherewatertemperatures
wereupto2degreescoolerthanatothersitesaroundUpolu
Islandatcomparabledepths.WhileAcroporaspecieswere
stillfoundtobedominantonthereef,diversitywasgenerally
muchgreaterthanatotherlocationsandfishlifemore
abundant.(Photo:©CWabnitz)
Byandlarge,overthelast20years,coralsaroundSamoahaveshowntolargelyrecoverfromnatural
disturbances(Green1996,MorrisandMcKay2008),includingrepeatedsevereCOTsoutbreakssince
the1970s(Zann1991),severalbleachingevents,powerfuldamagingcyclones,andmostrecentlya
tsunami.Inrecentyears,however,theoccurrencesofthesedisturbanceshaveincreasedwhilethetime
intervalbetweenthemdiminished,anditisimportanttostressthatmaintainingthehealthofthe
ecosystemisanongoingtask.Harmfulfishingpractices,coastalconstruction,pollution,coralbleaching,
andcoraldiseasearecompoundingtheabovementionednaturaldisturbancesandsignificantly
loweringlocalreefs’resilience.Recognitionofdegradedcoralreefhabitatshasledtotheestablishment
oflocallymanagedmarineareasbycommunities.Monitoringhasshownthatcoralhealthandfish
populationshaveincreasedinsomeofthesemanagedareas.Asreefsremainunderhumanpressures
andsubjecttonaturalevents,upkeepofexistingandfurtherimplementationofmanagementactions
andtheirenforcementtomitigatestressesiscritical.
CONCLUSIONS
Thepresenceofflameangelfish(andredhawk)inabundancesthatwouldallowtheirsustainablelong‐
termcollectionwascriticaltothedevelopmentofaneconomicallyviableindustryinSamoa.Thesetwo
specieswerenotpresentonthereefandingeneralotherspeciesofinteresttothetradewerefoundto
bescarce.Thefindingsofthesurveydonotsupporttheassertionthatasustainableand/orviable
industrycouldbedevelopedonisland.
Commercialaquariumfishsurveys–Samoa‐2015
14
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Commercialaquariumfishsurveys–Samoa‐2015
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AppendixI
IllustratedlistoffishencounteredinSamoathatareof(minor)interesttothetrade(alsoseeTable1for
observations)
Commonname
Scientificname
Ofinteresttothetrade
Goldrimtang
Acanthurusnigricans
Samoanname
Picture
Pone,gaitolama,
laulama
©CWabnitz
Mimictang
Acanthuruspyroferus
Pone‐i'usama
©PRyan/Ryanphotographic.com
Cardinalfish
Apogonspp.
Fo
©CWabnitz
Flagfinangel
Apolemichthys
trimaculatus
Tu'u'u
©PRyan/Ryanphotographic.com
Lemonpeelangel
Centropygeflavissimus
Tu`u`u‐sama,
tu`u`u‐lega
©PRyan/Ryanphotographic.com
Yellowangel
Centropygeheraldi
Tu'u'u‐atugauli
©www.aquaportail.com
BlueVelvet
Wrasseor
Scott'sWrasse
Cirrhilabrusscottorum
Sugale
©PBertrand/www.recif‐france.com
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Walsh’swrasse
Cirrhilabruswalshi
Sugale
©JRandall
Cleanerwrasse
Labroidesdimidiatus
Sugale‐mo`otai
©www.wikimarino.com
Richardson'sreef
damsel
Pomachromisrichardsoni
Pygoplitesdiacanthus
Tu'u'u‐
malaumataputa
©www.fishes.exblog.jp
Regalangel
Tu`u`u‐moana
©PRyan/Ryanphotographic.com
Ofminorinteresttothetrade
Shouldertang
Acanthurusolivaceus
Pone‐apasama,
afinamea
(juvenile)©SMichael
Bicolorangel
Centropygebicolor
Tu`u`u‐matamalu
©PRyan/Ryanphotographic.com
Coralbeautyangel
Centropygebispinosa
Tu'u'u‐alomu
©JJohnson/www.underwaterkwaj.com
Commercialaquariumfishsurveys–Samoa‐2015
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Clownwrasse
Corisgaimard
Sugale‐mumu,
sugale‐tala`ula
(juvenile)©BHarry
Fijidevil
Chrysipterataupou
Tu`u`u‐mo`o
vaiuli‐sama
©PRyan/Ryanphotographic.com
Leopardwrasse
Macropharyngodon
meleagris
Sugale‐puletasi
©PRyan/Ryanphotographic.com
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