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Raising Napoleon?

Year of publication 2015

Pages 3p.

Author Friedman, K.;Sadovy, Y.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Document

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) The high value Napoleon fish (or Humphead wrasse) is an iconic reef fish that grows to the size of a large man. Found in shallow tropical waters of both Indian and Pacific oceans, stocks of Napoleon fish have declined in both size and number in the last 20 years, prompting an international treaty to support its protection. The listing level adopted by the international community still allows exports, but only under strict management conditions that ensure that international commercial marketing is not detrimental to the sustainability of remaining stocks.

Language English

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    Book (series)
    Stock assessment approach for the Napoleon fish, Cheilinus undulatus, in Indonesia
    A tool for quotasetting for data-poor fisheries under CITES Appendix II Non-Detriment Finding requirements.
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    A stock assessment approach for the Napoleon fish (humphead wrasse), Cheilinus undulatus, is presented as a tool for determining sustainable catch levels of the species. The model was developed primarily for application in Indonesia and in collaboration with the Research Center for Oceanography, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). The model can be adapted for estimating sustainable catch levels in other countries, if suitable estimates of reef area and fish densities are available . The approach is composed of a population model and a method for estimating stock density based on underwater visual surveys, allows for the representation of "grow out" of net-caged animals, a significant part of the trade, includes the ability to account for uncertainty in most of the parameters of the model, and can compute a sustainable catch (and its associated uncertainty) corresponding to a user-specified level of fishing mortality. The resultant model is implemented using Micros oft EXCEL and Visual Basic, with a graphical user interface for easy use (the EXCEL spreadsheet is included in the CD-Rom provided with this Fisheries Circular). Sustainable fishing mortality rates for the species in Indonesia can be estimated based on commonly used biological reference points (e.g. FMSY; F20%). Results of sensitivity tests indicated that the relationship between stock and recruitment remains the major uncertainty affecting the estimation of sustainable fishing rates. Preliminary estimates of export quotas for Indonesia are provided taking into account the official statistics on the volume of domestic catches and estimated illegal and unreported exports. Estimated export quotas were highly sensitive to the estimated habitat area suitable for the species, which highlights the need for more accurate estimates of reef habitat areas in Indonesia. Quotas depend heavily on successful implementation and are one of several possible approaches to achieving sustainable exports of a CITES Appendix II listed species.
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    Book (series)
    Estimating reef habitat coverage suitable for the humphead wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus, using remote sensing. 2010
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    This study evaluates the use of satellite images for mapping shallow reef areas and the habitat of humphead wrasse. A method for mapping the suitable habitat for adult humphead wrasse is developed based on the location of reef edges on available Landsat images and on the application of a buffer area around the edges, where the probability of finding adult humphead wrasse is highest according to Underwater Visual Survey (UVS) data. The method is used to estimate the habitat coverage of the specie s in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, three of the most important exporting countries of the species. The total estimated habitat coverage was 11 892 km2 in Indonesia, 941 km2 in Malaysia and 5 254 km2 in Papua New Guinea. The estimates for Indonesia and Malaysia are approximately four times smaller than other available estimates of reef coverage for these countries, the difference being explained by the higher accuracy of the method used in the present study in identifying the location of shallow water fringing reefs. It is concluded that, for the purpose of estimating the suitable areas of humphead wrasse as a basis for defining population size and sustainable export quotas, the results obtained in the present study are more conservative and appropriate than previously available estimates of reef areas.
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    Book (series)
    Monitoring and management of the humphead wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus. 2010
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    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 p ermitted 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.
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