38_Funafuti Marine Aquarium Resource Report June 07 BY_Final Draft_not to put online_draft :: The University of the South Pacific Library

Expand document

Collapse document

38_Funafuti Marine Aquarium Resource Report June 07 BY_Final Draft_not to put online_draft

1 Pages 1-10

1.1 Page 1

1.2 Page 2

1.3 Page 3

1.4 Page 4

1.5 Page 5

1.6 Page 6

1.7 Page 7

1.8 Page 8

1.9 Page 9

1.10 Page 10

2 Pages 11-20

2.1 Page 11

2.2 Page 12

2.3 Page 13

2.4 Page 14

2.5 Page 15

2.6 Page 16

2.7 Page 17

2.8 Page 18

2.9 Page 19

2.10 Page 20

3 Pages 21-30

3.1 Page 21

3.2 Page 22

3.3 Page 23

3.4 Page 24

3.5 Page 25

3.6 Page 26

3.7 Page 27

3.8 Page 28

3.9 Page 29

3.10 Page 30

4 Pages 31-40

4.1 Page 31

4.2 Page 32

4.3 Page 33

4.4 Page 34

4.5 Page 35

4.6 Page 36

4.7 Page 37

4.8 Page 38

4.9 Page 39

4.10 Page 40

5 Pages 41-50

5.1 Page 41

5.2 Page 42

5.3 Page 43

5.4 Page 44

5.5 Page 45

5.6 Page 46

5.7 Page 47

5.8 Page 48

38_Funafuti Marine Aquarium Resource Report June 07 BY_Final Draft_not to put online_draft

1 Pages 1-10

▲back to top

1.1 Page 1

▲back to top

An underwater visual census survey of

the marine aquarium fish resources of

Funafuti Atoll, Tuvalu

Being Yeeting and Tupulanga Poulasi

April 2007

A technical report prepared on behalf of the Fisheries

Department of Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Tuvalu.

Funding for this project was jointly provided by a grant from

MacArthur Foundation, AusAID and the Taiwanese Government

1.2 Page 2

▲back to top

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank the Ministry of Natural Resources and Lands for the support they

gave in conducting this work. Special thanks to the Acting Director of Fisheries,

Mr. Nikolasi Apinelu and my counterpart Mr. Lale Petaia for helping in the

organization of logistics. I also congratulate and thank the team from the

Department of Fisheries in Funafuti, namely Mr. Tupulanga Poulasi, Mr. Tuilawa ,

and Mr. Kilisi Salanoa, who participated in the training and the survey of Funafuti,

without their enthusiasm and willingness to work hard, it would not have been

possible to complete the survey work in the time given. Last but not least a thank

you to Mr. P Holland for his willingness to stay back after work to always ensure

that we have full dive tanks to work with the following day. Thank you team!

1.3 Page 3

▲back to top

SPC

ADB

SPREP

RFID

Acronyms

Secretariat of the Pacific Community

Asian Development Bank

World Bank

South Pacific Regional Environment Programme

Reef Fisheries Integrated Database

1.4 Page 4

▲back to top

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................2

ACRONYMS ......................................................................................................................3

TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................................................................4

LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................5

LIST OF FIGURES ..............................................................................................................6

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.......................................................................................................7

1. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................10

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY .................................................................................10

1.2 THE MARINE AQUARIUM TRADE..............................................................................10

2. THE COUNTRY OF TUVALU .....................................................................................11

2.1 GENERAL GEOGRAPHY ..........................................................................................11

2.2 THE COASTAL FISHERIES OF TUVALU .....................................................................12

2.3 MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK...................................................................................13

3. STUDY SITE ..........................................................................................................14

3.1 FUNAFUTI ATOLL ...................................................................................................14

3.2 MARINE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT.........................................................................16

4. OBJECTIVES .........................................................................................................17

5. METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................17

5.1 UNDERWATER VISUAL CENSUS ...............................................................................17

5.2 SPECIES SELECTION..............................................................................................18

5.3 SUBSTRATE ..........................................................................................................18

5.4 PARAMETERS OF INTEREST ....................................................................................19

5.5 SURVEY DESIGN ...................................................................................................20

5.6 SCALING ...............................................................................................................21

5.7 TRAINING OF LOCAL FISHERIES OFFICERS...............................................................22

6. RESULTS ..............................................................................................................23

6.1 SPECIES NUMBERS AND ABUNDANCE .....................................................................23

6.2 SPECIES SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS ................................................................................24

6.3 STOCK ESTIMATES ................................................................................................24

6.4 SUBSTRATE AND HABITAT ......................................................................................26

7. DISCUSSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................28

7.1 POTENTIAL OF THE FISH RESOURCES FOR THE MARINE AQUARIUM TRADE................28

7.2 THE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK............................................................................29

7.3 THE INFRASTRUCTURE ..........................................................................................29

7.4 FUTURE REQUIREMENTS .......................................................................................30

8. CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................................31

REFERENCES .................................................................................................................32

APPENDICES ..................................................................................................................34

1.5 Page 5

▲back to top

List of Tables

Table 1 List of species with potential for the marine aquarium trade ....................................................19

Table 2 Fish families and numbers of species recorded in the survey ....................................................23

Table 3 Stock estimate by Family Group of Tuvalu Fish.........................................................................25

Table 4 Estimated Stocks of 10 important marine aquarium trade species ...........................................26

Table 5 Percentage coverage of bottom substrates on Funafuti reefs.....................................................27

1.6 Page 6

▲back to top

List of Figures

Figure 1. Structure of Community Governance.. .....................................................................................14

Figure 2. Map of Funafuti Atoll with its numerous islets and reef passages ..........................................15

Figure 3. Assessment of finfish resources and associated environments using distance-sampling

underwater visual censuses (D-UVC)........................................................................................18

Figure 4. Location of sampling stations on Funafuti Atoll.......................................................................22

Figure 5 To show the composition of live coral types in the two habitats...............................................28

1.7 Page 7

▲back to top

Executive Summary

The international aquarium (freshwater and marine) industry is a multi-billion

dollar business with a current annual worldwide wholesale trade value estimated

at about US$900 million and a retail trade value of about US$3,000 million

The Pacific nations’ role in the international marine aquarium trade has

significantly grown over the past decade with continued expansion expected. It is

currently the only reef fishery that is proving to be commercially viable in

providing a successful ongoing income earning industry and a provider of

employment within the region, especially those land impoverished small island

states, through direct village-based employment, income generation and export

earnings.

Tuvalu is one of the new countries showing an interest in the marine aquarium

trade and in 2004 officially requested the Secretariat of the Pacific Community

(SPC) for assistance to look into this.

In response to the request, in early 2005, SPC conducted a survey of Funafuti

Atoll’s marine aquarium resources to assess the presence and abundance of

potential species. Such survey will provide the first basis of looking at the

feasibility of setting up operations.

Funafuti Atoll is the capital of Tuvalu. It is the largest atoll in the country and has

a population of about 4492 (Census 2002), the highest in the country. It is also

the main port and therefore is the gateway for international travel and trade. Air

Fiji provides two weekly flights between Nausori and Funafuti.

Management of marine resources has followed on from the British colonial

administration, giving free access to all marine resources and total management

responsibility to the Government. More recently several legal instruments have

given more power to the island communities to manage their own resources. All

resource management decisions regarding the entire coastal zone/area of each

island falls under the Island Council and the Falekaupule and therefore

considerations of these authorities is important in any future efforts to develop

exploitation of marine resources.

In addition to assessing the marine aquarium trade resources of Funafuti, the

identification of awareness needs about the marine aquarium trade among the

local community was also conducted and 4 local fisheries officers (divers) were

trained in the resource survey method to give the Fisheries Department the

capacity to be able to conduct other resource appraisals, including monitoring of

the resources in the future.

1.8 Page 8

▲back to top

The distance-sampling underwater visual census (D-UVC) method was used

to assess marine aquarium trade finfish resources in Funafuti Atoll. This is the

method that SPC has developed and used to assess reef fisheries resources in

the Pacific region.

All fish species with potential for the marine aquarium trade are assessed using

Pacific export records as the basis, which reports up to 150 fish species from 20

families.

The bottom substrate was also surveyed using a medium scale approach (MSA),

which was also developed by SPC as part of the fisheries resources D-UVC

method.

The results of the survey showed a total of 74 species from 12 families with

potential for the marine aquarium trade. 58 species from 11 families were

reported in the lagoon reef areas and 59 species from 11 families were reported

from the outer reefs.

On the outer reefs, the family Pomacentridae (damselfishes) was the most

common with Pomacentrus vaiuli being the most abundant species with an

average density of 48 individuals per 1000 m2 of reef. Other significant

Pomacentrid species included Pomacentrus pavo, Chromis iomelas, Chromis

margaritifer, and Plectroglyphidodon johnstonianus. Among the Pomacanthids

(angelfishes), Centropyge flavissimus and C. loriculus were the most common.

On the lagoon reefs, again the Pomacentrids were dominant but with Chrysiptera

cyanea being the most abundant species with an average density of 166

individuals per 1000 m2 of reef. Pomacentrus pavo was also very common with

an average density of 117 individuals per 1000 m2 of reef. Looking at other family

groups, the most common Chaetodontid (butterflyfish) in the lagoon was

Chaetodon trifascialis and the most common Pomacanthid (angelfish) was

Centropyge flavissimus.

Looking at the observed sizes of the fish species, generally on average the fish

seen in Funafuti were 50% or less of the known maximum sizes. This was

observed on average in both lagoon and outer reef habitats. Given that these fish

species have not been exploited previously then this could be a natural

phenomenon but more detailed aging work will be needed to verify this.

Using the mean densities of the different species from the survey, and the total

area of lagoon and outer reefs, it was possible to get an estimate of the stock of

each fish species in the two different reef habitats.

Generally, there is an adequate stock of fish species with potential for export in

the marine aquarium trade in Funafuti. Even by just taking 10 of the more popular

1.9 Page 9

▲back to top

species and with the provision of setting 10% of the stock estimates to be

available for export, this would still support some small operations.

Even though the resource might be available, this does not mean that a marine

aquarium trade would be automatically feasible to develop. An important area

that needs to be considered carefully before deciding on this is the basic

infrastructure required to support this export industry. The most obvious factor is

the availability of airline connections from Funafuti to the market, including air

cargo space available per flight, air freight rates, the number of transits and

interflight connection delays.

Should the Tuvalu Government choose to go ahead with the development of the

marine aquarium trade in Funafuti then it is very important that a management

plan is developed and put in place. The management plan should take into

account all the administrative bodies that have some relation and legal authority

to all or any part of the coastal marine ecosystem and should also include details

of management measures such as regulations, license conditions and fees, a

monitoring program, an effective enforcement mechanism and a sustainable

source of finance to support all these management activities.

Live coral coverage was 43% in the outer reefs and 33% in the lagoon reefs

which is fairly good. Very little evidence (less than 0.5%).of coral bleaching was

observed on all reefs.

Basically this report is just to give the status of the resources in terms of

presence and abundance of important marine aquarium fish species and with

some guidelines on how this trade should be developed based on other known

successful experiences from elsewhere.

The successful development of a marine aquarium trade would need a lot more

consideration than just the availability of the resource and some commitment

from the government in terms of supporting the next required steps. SPC is able

to provide further advice if required but first of all the Tuvalu government will

need to decide whether they want to move on or not and if so then to further

request SPC assistance.

1.10 Page 10

▲back to top

1. Introduction

1.1 Background to the study

At the beginning of 2004, an official request to SPC was received from the

Tuvalu Ministry of Natural Resources and Lands through the Tuvalu Ministry of

Foreign Affairs. The initial request was to assess the abundance of the live reef

food fish resources in all of the Tuvalu atolls and evaluate the feasibility of

starting live reef food fish trade operations in Tuvalu. Due to the lack of funding it

was not possible to respond to Tuvalu’s request immediately and therefore the

assistance was delayed until funds become available.

In early 2005, funds from the SPC Fisheries Minor Projects were made available

to do the work. After some extensive discussion between the SPC and the

Tuvalu Fisheries Department and initial consideration and comparison of

problems and difficulties in live reef food fish trade operations and marine

aquarium trade operations, it was agreed that the work should look at the marine

aquarium fish trade resources first. In addition, instead of conducting the survey

of all atolls of Tuvalu, it was more realistic and fundable to assess one or two

atolls first and train a team of local fisheries officers on the survey method to be

used, to give them the technical capacity to conduct underwater fish surveys and

to extend the survey to the other islands of Tuvalu. After consideration of the

logistics, it was decided appropriate to conduct the survey in Funafuti atoll and to

train the fisheries officers on the UVC method at the same time.

The present report presents results of a baseline survey of the marine aquarium

resources of Funafuti conducted in 2005 by SPC in association with the Tuvalu

Fisheries Department. The survey focused mainly on finfish resources and did

not take into account the invertebrate resources. Some observations were made

on bottom habitat making it possible to give a general description of the status of

the live coral coverage.

1.2 The Marine Aquarium Trade

The international aquarium (freshwater and marine) industry is a multi-billion

dollar business with a current annual worldwide wholesale trade value estimated

at about US$900 million and a retail trade value of about US$3,000 million

(Forum Secretariat, 1999 & Holthus, 2001).

The market for the aquarium trade is dominated by the Unites States, with an

estimated 60 percent of the demand. Western Europe (Germany, France and the

United Kingdom), Japan, Taiwan and Australia constitute the remaining 40

percent of the market (Holthus, 2001). A greater majority of the aquarium fish

species being traded are freshwater species, however marine tropical species

are considered more prestigious and therefore are valued higher.

2 Pages 11-20

▲back to top

2.1 Page 11

▲back to top

The Pacific nations’ role in the international marine aquarium trade has

significantly grown over the past decade with continued expansion expected. It is

currently the only reef fishery that is proving to be commercially viable in

providing a successful ongoing income earning industry and a provider of

employment within the region. It is also seen as an industry that is making good

use of fisheries resource, given the fact that the species being traded are not

food fish species and therefore would not be normally utilized otherwise.

The marine aquarium organisms being traded consist of fish species and

invertebrates, live rock, and live corals, with most of these coming mainly from

the tropics. Subsequently, the marine aquarium industry provides a valuable

economic opportunity for Pacific island communities especially in those land

resources-impoverished small island states, through direct village-based

employment, income generation and export earnings.

Regional estimates indicate that over 150 species of marine aquarium fish are

traded by the industry with an estimated annual number of over 400,000

individuals. The export of marine aquarium fish species from the Pacific is

dominated by the Republic of Kiribati which constitutes about 49 percent. The

annual live rock exports for the region are estimated at 700,000 metric tonnes for

2003 with 95 percent of this originating from Fiji.

The SPC member countries that are currently involved in the marine aquarium

industry include: Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Marshall

Islands (RMI), Palau, American Samoa, Kiribati, New Caledonia and French

Polynesia. A few more Pacific countries like Tuvalu are seriously considering

starting marine aquarium trade operations. This includes Nauru, PNG, FSM and

Samoa. In order for these operations to be sustainable, it is vitally important to

have realistic and effective management and monitoring regimes for this trade. A

baseline assessment of the resource forms one of the first important steps in

developing such a fishery and its management plan. It is therefore our hope that

the results of this study would be useful in providing this required baseline which

would be useful also for future reference.

2. The country of Tuvalu

2.1 General Geography

Tuvalu is one of the smallest island nations in the Pacific region and lies west of

the international dateline and 1000 km north of Fiji in the central Pacific just

below the equator (Tuvalu Fact File 1997-1998). This tiny island nation is

comprised of nine very low lying coralline islands scattered over a wide space of

ocean. The islands highest point above sea level is about 3 m. The very sandy

and porous soil is not fertile and hence agricultural opportunities are limited. The

marine resources therefore form an important source of protein and provides the

basis of the mostly subsistence livelihood for the people (see next section).

2.2 Page 12

▲back to top

The total population for Tuvalu is less than 10,000 people with an annual growth

rate of 0.5% (Government of Tuvalu, 2002). 47% of this population resides on

Fogafale, the main island of the country’s capital atoll, Funafuti, giving a

population density of about 1,610 people per square kilometers which is one of

the highest population densities in the region.

The primary source of cash income is through government employment which is

especially very significant in Funafuti, the capital atoll, where the government

headquarters are based. Remittances from relatives living and working abroad

including seafarers also provide an important income support to families and

contribution to the economy of the country. Business opportunities exist but are

limited to local scale and include: sale of fish or marine produce, handicraft

production and small retail shops. Export opportunities have been limited by the

lack of good transportation links to overseas markets.

2.2 The Coastal Fisheries of Tuvalu

Fisheries related activities in the country are very limited and fishing is mainly for

local consumption. Reef fishing is the most common fishing activity which

accounts to more than 75% of fishing households. This is due to the accessibility

of reef fishing areas and the ease of efforts to catch some of these reef fish.

Various fishing methods and gears are used for catching fish in the reef areas.

Common fishing methods include hand-lining, trolling, gill netting, scoop-net

fishing, rod fishing and spearfishing. The use of traditional fishing gears is

considered outdated and the use of modern fishing gears is now much more

preferred. Some of the currently known main uses of coastal reef resources

include:

Source of food for households

The marine reef resources provide the main source of food and especially protein

for more than 50% of the households in Tuvalu. This dependence is apparently

higher in the outer islands (59% - 95% of households) compared to Funafuti (just

over 50% of the households).

Special food items for social events

Shellfish stocks are not usually subsistence food. However, they are particularly

important food during festive seasons and for special occasions such as

weddings, funerals, birthday parties and government occasions.

Shellfish for handicrafts

While larger shells are collected for food, the cowries and other small species are

collected especially for the ornamental industry and for making handicraft. In the

2002 census, 137 women were reported as being economically active in the

production and selling of handicrafts. These handicrafts are targeted at tourists

and visitors. The very small number of tourists that usually visit Tuvalu puts a

2.3 Page 13

▲back to top

limit on this income earning activity. There is also a concern about the

sustainability of the collection of shellfish for this use.

Small scale commercial fishing

Small scale commercial fishing operations are a common feature on the islands

of Tuvalu. This is more attractive in Funafuti with the bigger local demand

compared to the outer islands.

Very little is known about the status of the reef fish stocks in Tuvalu. However

there is a general belief among residents that fish stocks are already in decline

especially in reef areas adjacent to villages with the increasing human population

perhaps as the main contributing factor to the problem. Given the significant

importance of coastal fisheries resources, the need for proper assessment to

develop practical management guidelines for the resource should be given high

priority.

2.3 Management Framework

Tuvalu has a nationwide open access system of resource ownership.

Traditionally, the Government has the power to control the overall fisheries. This

power is vested in the Minister responsible for Fisheries (Fisheries Ordinance

1990). Basically, the State owns everything up to, and including, the coastal

highest water mark and includes both all marine living resources (fish and

invertebrates) as well as non-living resources (minerals, sand, gravel, rubble,

rock etc.) below and above the seabed.

Regulations pertaining to matters related to the marine sector include the

Fisheries Act, the Local Government Act, and the Maritime Act which to date

have been ineffective in managing the marine resources, due to the lack of

resources in terms of capital and manpower. More recently several legal

instruments have given more power to the island communities to manage their

own resources. The 1997 Falekaupule Act, the Marine Resources Conservation

Area Act and the 2006 Marine Resources Act all give significant recognition to

the coastal fisheries resources and provide a stronger legal framework for its

management by the communities.

Nowadays, all resource management decisions regarding the entire coastal

zone/area of each island fall under the Island Council and the Falekaupule.

The Island Council is a body made up of members selected by and representing

the island communities, and is empowered by the national government as the

administrative authority with the legal power and responsibility for the

management of the coastal area in line with the welfare of the people. The Island

Council makes and administers by-laws and levy rates, and can also refer major

legal or administrative matters to the national government for advice or for

finalising decisions where decisions are hard to be made.

2.4 Page 14

▲back to top

The Falekaupule (assembly of elders) is comprised of all men in a community

over the age of 50 years old who regularly meet to discuss issues pertaining to

the welfare of the people. Under the Falekaupule Act, they have the power to

control and regulate fisheries activities within their area of jurisdiction (12 miles

off from shore). They are the body that endorses any by-laws or resolutions

proposed by the Island Council as stated under the 1997 Falekaupule Act, “…no

Town Council resolutions and by-laws can be passed without the consent of the

Falekaupule (Government of Tuvalu, 1995)…” but by-laws agreed upon by the

Falekaupule during their meetings (fono) can be immediately implemented and

enacted with the application of penalties on perpetrators, without the need of

gazetting. The new by-laws, after being legally scrutinized and if proven to

possess merits in the national interest, will be formulated into a bill which is

submitted for debate in parliament. If the bill is passed in parliament, it is then

gazetted and comes into force.

The

National

Government

Falekaupule

Kaupule

Island Community

Community Based & Civil Society Oganisations

Figure 1. Structure of Community Governance. The Falekaupule is the product of the fusion of

the traditional leadership and the introduced governing system and it functions as the decision

making body on the island. The Kaupule is the executive arm of the Falekaupule. The central

Government links directly to the Kaupule. (Adopted from Tuvalu NAPA Document).

3. Study Site

3.1 Funafuti Atoll

General

Funafuti Atoll is the capital of Tuvalu. It is the largest atoll in the country and has

a population of about 3962 which is the highest population in the country (see

also Section 2.1). Funafuti is also the main port and therefore is the gateway for

international travel and trade. Air Fiji provides two weekly flights between Nausori

and Funafuti. International shipping services for passengers and cargo are

2.5 Page 15

▲back to top

provided regularly by the government-owned vessel as well as by private

overseas shipping companies. An inter-island government-run ferry service

provides the only transportation link with the outer islands. Even as the main port,

and with more economic opportunities compared to the rest of the atolls in

Tuvalu, Funafuti currently still lacks any ongoing activities for foreign trade.

Topography

The atoll is only between 3-5 m above sea level but with quite a large reef and

lagoon areas (the largest for the country). The atoll is made up of a series of

submerged reef encircling a lagoon of about 205 km2 and 40-50 m deep. Mclean

& Hosking (1991) described the reef platform of 37 km2, to consist of bare reef

flats (92 %), vegetated islets (7 %) and adjacent beaches (1 %). The eastern side

of the atoll is comprised of well vegetated islets and is where the population of

the atoll is concentrated. On the western side of the atoll is a barrier reef

consisting of a few very small islets, traversed by deep passages, where the

GEF-funded national marine conservation area, established in 1996, is located.

The deepest passage is located on the south-east part of the atoll which is the

only one through which the big ships such as tourist cruise liners can pass and

enter into the lagoon. All the other numerous passages are only deep enough for

any other smaller ships (passenger, cargo and fishing) to pass through,

especially during high tides.

Figure 2. Map of Funafuti Atoll with its numerous islets and reef passages

2.6 Page 16

▲back to top

Fishing Activities

There are currently no formal commercial fishing and fisheries related operations

on Funafuti. The National Fishing Corporation of Tuvalu (Naficot) once tried a

deep bottom and outer reef fishing operation exporting to buyers in Fiji. The

operation was stopped because fish stocks were too low to meet the demand

and to make it economically sustainable. Also, there have been several small-

beche-de-mer operations on the island some years back. The entrepreneurs

hired local divers, and, using hookah gears, engaged in the collection of high

valued white-teat fish. The stocks were too low to sustain operations and this,

along with the big drop in market prices of beche-de-mer, the operations had to

close down.

In Funafuti, the demand for fish is high. To meet this local demand there are a

number of small scale local commercial fishing activities which undertake a

mixture of ocean fishing for tuna and reef fishing using mostly outboard powered

boats. A high percentage of households in Funafuti still consume fish that they

catch themselves. Most of this fishing is done by men but women and children

are quite often engaged in shallow water fishing and also in reef gleaning

activities to collect invertebrates such Anadara species, turbo and ornamental

seashells. The seashells are sold to the ornamental seashell trade which is the

biggest employer of women on Funafuti and the whole country.

Fish Consumption

On Funafuti, the average estimated per capita daily consumption of fish seemed

to have dropped in recent years from 0.9 kg per head per day reported by Sauni,

1997 (34% coverage) to 0.4 kg per head per day in 2005 (5% coverage, SPC,

2005). It is not known if the cause of the drop is due to less fish being available

or to the increased preference of the local people for imported sources of protein.

3.2 Marine Resource Management

As described in Section 2.3 above, like the rest of all the atolls in Tuvalu, the

management of marine resources in Funafuti is controlled and administered

under the powers of the Falekaupule and the Island Council through by-laws.

These new endorsed by-laws become as effective as any already existing

fisheries regulations established under the Fisheries Ordinance. The number of

existing related by-laws and fisheries regulations for Funafuti includes:

• the ban of catching Selar crumenophthalmus (salala) fish (bye-law)

• restriction of gillnet mesh-sizes (by-law)

• indiscriminate harvesting of giant clams and beche-de-mer in

certain reef areas (by-law)

• prohibition of the use of hookah and scuba gears for any form of

fishing (fisheries regulation)

• use of dynamite and any form of fish poisons (fisheries regulation)

2.7 Page 17

▲back to top

Under the new Marine Resources Area Conservation Act, the Funafuti

Conservation Area was established in 1996. This is the only legal localized tapu

area in the country, covering approximately 33 square kilometers of protected

marine area which is a third of the entire Funafuti atoll, and includes six small

motus and about 20 percent of the total coral reef area of Funafuti lagoon. All

animals and plants in this area both on land and in the sea are protected. The

excavation of beach sand and gravels from this protected area is also prohibited.

In the present exercise, the importance of this existing legal framework is

recognized and any future efforts to develop and manage the marine aquarium

resources should consider and respect these legal instruments to avoid any

potential management conflicts in the future.

4. Objectives

The primary purpose of the study was to conduct an assessment of the marine

aquarium fish resources of Funafuti, i.e. to find out what species exist and if they

are in good enough numbers to support a marine aquarium fish trade.

The secondary aim is to collect the relevant information needed for a first and

quick assessment of the economical viability and feasibility of setting up a marine

aquarium trade in Funafuti. An assessment of the level of awareness about the

marine aquarium fish trade among the local community was also conducted in

order to identify the kind of information that is needed to improve basic

understanding about the trade, which would be valuable in the future should the

Government of Tuvalu choose to start a marine aquarium trade.

Most of the Pacific countries do not have local expertise to conduct resources

surveys so, as a side objective of this study, a training component was included

to address this issue and train at least 4 local divers, preferably from the

Fisheries Department, on the underwater visual census method that SPC have

been using in their reef fisheries resources assessment work. With this building

of local technical capacity to do surveys, it is then expected that the surveys can

be extended to the other atolls in Tuvalu and, over the long term, if marine

aquarium trade operations do start, then the Fisheries Department would have

the capacity to monitor the trade.

5. Methodology

5.1 Underwater visual census

The distance-sampling underwater visual census (D-UVC) method (Kulbicki

and Sarramegna 1999, Kulbicki et al. 2000) was used to assess the marine

aquarium trade finfish resources in Funafuti Atoll. The D-UVC is fully described in

Labrosse et al. (2002). The transect consists of a 50 m line, represented on the

seafloor by an underwater tape (Fig. 2). Briefly, the method consists of recording

2.8 Page 18

▲back to top

the species name, abundance, body length and the distance to the transect line

for each fish or group of fish observed. Normally, for safety reasons, two divers

are required to conduct a survey, each diver counting fish on a different side of

the transect line. Mathematical models are then used to estimate fish density

(number of fish per unit area) and biomass (weight of fish per unit area) from the

counts.

Figure 3. Assessment of finfish resources and associated environments using distance-

sampling underwater visual censuses (D-UVC). Each diver recorded number of fish, fish size,

distance of fish to the transect line, and habitat quality, using pre-printed underwater paper.

5.2 Species Selection

Only reef fish of interest to the marine aquarium trade were surveyed. Since

Tuvalu does not have a marine aquarium trade yet and therefore there was no

existing list of local species of interest, a preliminary list of species was obtained

from the export invoices of nearby pacific countries of the most commonly

exported species. There are about 150 fish species from 20 families that are

commonly exported from the Pacific countries. These are listed in Table 1 below.

5.3 Substrate

Having some idea of the bottom substrate where the fish were counted is

important in order to be able to explain some of the environmental factors that

may influence the local abundance and distributions of fish species. A modified

version of the medium scale approach (MSA) similar to that developed and

2.9 Page 19

▲back to top

described by Clua et al. (2006) was used to record substrate characteristics

along transects where finfish were counted. Briefly, the method consists of

recording depth, habitat complexity, and 23 substrate parameters within ten 5x5

m quadrats located on each side of a 50-m transect, for a total of 20 quadrats per

transect (Fig. 2). The transect’s habitat characteristics are then calculated by

averaging substrate records over the 20 quadrats.

Table 1 List of species with potential for the marine aquarium trade

Family

Acanthuridae (surgeonfishes)

Balistidae (triggerfishes)

Blenniidae (blennies)

Callionymidae (dragonets)

Chaetodontidae (butterflyfishes)

Cirrhitidae (hawkfishes)

Ephippidae (batfishes)

Gobiidae (gobies)

Labridae (wrasses)

Microdesmidae (wormfishes and

dartfishes)

Monacanthidae (filefishes)

Mullidae (goatfishes)

Ostraciidae (trunkfishes)

Pomacanthidae (angelfishes)

Pomacentridae (damselfishes)

Pseudochromidae (dottybacks)

Ptereleotridae (dartfishes)

Scorpaenidae (scorpionfishes)

Serranidae (groupers, fairy

basslets and anthias)

Tetraodontidae (puffers)

Zanclidae (moorish idol)

Selected species

Acanthurus achilles, A. dussumieri, A. guttatus, A. lineatus, A. maculiceps, A.

mata, A. nigricans, A. nigrofuscus, A. nigroris, A. olivaceus, A. pyroferus, all

species of genus Ctenochaetus and Zebrasoma

Abalistes stellatus, Balistapus undulates, Balistoides conspicillum, all species of

genus Melichthys, Rhinecanthus and Sufflamen

All species

All species of genus Anampses, Bodianus, Choerodon, Cirrhilabrus, Coris,

Halichoeres, Hemigymnus, Hologymnosus, Iniistius, Labroides, Labropsis,

Macropharyngodon, Oxycheilinus, Pseudocheilinus, Pseudojuloides, Stethojulis,

Thalassoma, Wetmorella, Epibulus insidiator, Gomphosus varius, Labrichthys

unilineatus and Novaculichthys taeniourus

All species

Juveniles of genus Parupeneus

All species

All species of genus Pterois

All species of genus Luzonichthys, Pseudanthias, Juveniles of genus Variola and

Cephalopholis

All species

5.4 Parameters of interest

Fish resources

In this report, the interest is to note the occurrence of the fish species that has

potential for the marine aquarium trade and to get an idea of how much of these

species are available. The following parameters are therefore noted:

• biodiversity — the number of families, genera and species observed and

counted in D-UVC transects;

• density (fish per m2) — estimated from fish abundance in D-UVC;

2.10 Page 20

▲back to top

• size (cm fork length) — direct estimated record of fish size by D-UVC;

• community structure — density and size compared among families;

• stock size estimates — number of individuals per species estimated in

potentially known habitable reef areas.

The parameter size ratio (%) — the ratio between fish size and maximum

reported size of the species – could be used as an indicator for over fishing of a

species. This ratio can range from nearly zero when fish are very small (usually

the case when the bigger size fish have been removed by fishing) to nearly one

when fish has reached the greatest size reported for the species (unfished

population). The calculation of this parameter uses maximum reported size from

referenced sources for each species stored in the RFID database. This

parameter is not considered in this report but could be a useful one to consider in

future monitoring surveys.

Substrates

The bottom substrates are assessed at all sites in terms of several crucial

substrate parameters. These are obtained by grouping 23 primary substrate

parameters recorded by divers into 6 groups:

• depth (m);

• soft bottom (% cover) — sum of substrate components (1). mud

(sediment particles < 0.1 mm) and (2). sand and gravel (0.1 mm < hard

particles < 30 mm);

• rubble and boulders (% cover) — sum of substrate components

(3). dead coral debris (carbonated structures of heterogeneous sizes,

broken and removed from their original locations), (4). small boulders

(diameter < 30 cm) and (5). large boulders (diameter < 1 m);

• hard bottom (% cover) — sum of substrate components (6). slab and

pavement (flat hard substratum with no relief), rock (massive minerals)

and eroded dead coral (carbonated edifices that have lost their coral

colony shape), (7). dead coral (dead carbonated edifices that are still in

place and retain a general coral shape) and (8). bleaching coral;

• live coral (% cover) — sum of substrate components (9). encrusting live

coral, (10). massive and sub-massive live corals, (11). digitate live

coral, (12). branching live coral, (13). foliose live coral, (14). tabulate

live coral and (15). Millepora spp.; and

• soft coral (% cover) — substrate component (16). soft coral.

5.5 Survey Design

Coral reef ecosystems are complex and diverse. The NASA Millennium Coral

Reef Mapping Project (http://imars.marine.usf.edu/corals/index.html) has

3 Pages 21-30

▲back to top

3.1 Page 21

▲back to top

identified and classified coral reefs of the world in about 1000 categories.1 These

very detailed categories can be used directly to try to explain the status of living

resources or be lumped into more general categories to fit a study’s particular

needs. For the needs of the present marine aquarium finfish resource

assessment, reef types using the Millennium Project classification were grouped

into two main categories: – lagoon reefs, which includes the sheltered coastal

reefs, the intermediate reefs and the back reefs, and the outer reefs (Fig. 2). A

definition of the reef types is given below.

o lagoon reef — three sub categories

sheltered coastal reef — reef that fringes the land but is

located inside a lagoon or a pseudo-lagoon;

intermediate reef (patch reef that is located inside a lagoon

or a pseudo-lagoon) and

back reef (inner/lagoon side of outer reef); and

o outer reef — ocean side of fringing or barrier reefs.

Fish and associated habitat parameters are recorded along 30 transects for the

whole atoll, with a balanced design of 15 transects on the lagoon reefs and 15

transects on the outer reefs. The exact position of transects are determined in

advance using satellite imagery, and actual positions are also marked using a

handheld Garmin GPS (Global Positioning System) 72, to maximize accuracy

and to allow repeatability for monitoring purposes.

5.6 Scaling

Maps from the Millennium Project allow the calculation of reef areas in the study

site, and those areas can be used to scale (using weighted averages) the

resource assessment at any spatial level. Technically, the weight given to each

transect corresponds to the ratio between the area of the reef structure on which

the transect was conducted (e.g. the area of sheltered coastal reef) and the

product of the total area of reef present (i.e. the area of sheltered coastal reef +

the area of intermediate reef, etc.) and the total number of transects performed

on the reef structure on which the transect was done.

1 Thanks to a collaboration with Dr Serge Andrefouet, IRD-Coreus Noumea and leader of the

Millenium Project, our study benefited in real time from the outputs of the ongoing Millenium

Project.

3.2 Page 22

▲back to top

TR11

TR14

TR04

TR15

North

TR05

TR16

TR06

TR17 TR08

TR07

TR13

TR03

TR12

TR10

TR30 TR09

TR29

TR31

TR32

TR18

TR28

TR19

TR25

TR27

TR20

TR24

TR26

TR21

TR22

TR23

Legend:

Land

Lagoon area

Coastal lagoon

Outer reef

Scale: 1 mile

Figure 4. Location of sampling stations on Funafuti Atoll

5.7 Training of local Fisheries Officers

One of the main aims of the SPC Regional Live Reef Fish Trade (LRFT) Initiative

is to try and address the problem of lack of technical capacity in the Pacific Island

member countries and territories to monitor and manage live reef fisheries both

for the Live Reef Food Fish (LRFF) and the aquarium trade (AT). The approach

taken by the Initiative is to use the country field surveys to train local fisheries

officers in the survey methods. A one week hands-on training is usually

conducted before the survey is done. The trained local fisheries officers are then

given the opportunity to participate and apply their newly acquired field survey

skills in the actual survey under the guidance of the SPC Live Reef Fisheries

Scientist.

Following the in-country survey, one of the trained local officers is given the

opportunity to go to the SPC headquarters and learn on how to process the

survey data using the SPC Reef Fisheries Observatory Interactive Database

(RFID). The data processing component also includes the analysis of the data,

interpretation and writing up the results into a technical report. For most countries

where a live reef fish trade already exists (LRFF or AT), this would also include

the drafting up of a management plan and a monitoring program for the particular

fisheries.

3.3 Page 23

▲back to top

From this capacity building program, it is expected that the trained local fisheries

officers would be able to carry out any required future assessment surveys in

new proposed sites and to conduct the monitoring of any ongoing live reef fish

activities.

The present technical report is the result of a survey conducted in Funafuti using

this approach.

6. Results

6.1 Species Numbers and Abundance

For the whole Funafuti survey, a total of 74 species from 12 families which have

potential for the marine aquarium trade were recorded. 58 species from 11

families were reported in the lagoon reef areas and 59 species from 11 families

were reported from the outer reefs. A complete list of species is appended but

the number of species recorded by family is given in Table 2 below.

It should be noted here that the number of species recorded does not reflect

species biodiversity but rather the number of species seen with potential for the

marine aquarium trade.

Table 2 Fish families and numbers of species recorded in the survey

FISH FAMILY:

Acanthuridae

Balistidae

Blennidae

Chaetodontidae

Cirrhitidae

Gobiidae

Labridae

Microdesmidae

Mullidae

Pomacanthidae

Pomacentridae

Zanclidae

No. of Species

Lagoon

Reefs

Outer

Reefs

The density of all the different species that were censured in the survey are given

in Appendix II. In terms of abundance, the family Pomacentridae (damselfishes)

was very well represented on the outer reefs with Pomacentrus vaiuli being the

3.4 Page 24

▲back to top

most abundant species with an average density of 48 individuals/1000 m2 of reef.

The other Pomacentrids with significant densities includes Pomacentrus pavo (38

inds/1000 m2), Chromis iomelas (23), Chromis margaritifer (22) and

Plectroglyphidodon johnstonianus (15). Among the Pomacanthids (angelfishes),

two species were quite common; Centropyge flavissimus with an average density

of 17 inds/1000 m2 of reef and C. loriculus with an average density of 8 inds/1000

m2 of reef.

On the lagoon reefs, again the Pomacentrids were very well represented but this

time with Chrysiptera cyanea being the most abundant species with an average

density of 166 inds/1000 m2 of reef. Pomacentrus pavo was also very common

with an average density of 117 inds/1000 m2 of reef. The most common

Chaetodon (butterflyfish) in the lagoon was Chaetodon trifascialis with an

average density of 19 inds/1000 m2 of reef. The most common Pomacanthid

(angelfish) was Centropyge flavissimus with an average density of 15 inds/1000

m2 of reef.

6.2 Species Size Distributions

Given that neither maximum size estimates specific for fish species of Funafuti or

Tuvalu, nor size estimates from previous surveys are available, it was only

possible to compare the fish sizes of fish surveyed with maximum size estimates

of the fish species obtained from Fishbase 2004. It should be noted here that

these maximum size estimates might be very different from the real maximum

sizes of fish species in Tuvalu and therefore should be treated with caution.

The mean sizes of fish species in the survey and associated size ratios i.e. ratio

of mean size to known maximum size, are tabulated in Appendix III. Looking at

the mean sizes of fish on the outer reefs of Funafuti, only 19% of the fish species

were larger than 50% of known maximum size. In the lagoon, however, a lot

more of the fish species recorded (i.e. 32%) were larger than 50% of the known

maximum size.

From this it will seem that most of the fish species in Tuvalu are generally much

smaller in size than the same species from other areas as reported in the

literature. In exploited fisheries situations, this would have been normally

associated to over fishing of the adult populations. However, given that these

particular species have not been exploited then this is very unlikely. Another

possible explanation might have to do with differences in habitat preference

between size groups (Helfman, 1978; Wener and Gilliam, 1984; Jones, 1988) or

just that fish in Tuvalu might be naturally smaller on average than those from

other places. All of these however would need to be verified further with more

work.

6.3 Stock Estimates

3.5 Page 25

▲back to top

Using the mean densities of the different species from the survey, it was possible

to get an estimate of the stock of each fish species in the two different reef

habitats, the lagoon reefs and the outer reefs, by simply multiplying the density of

each fish species for each habitat per 1000 m2 by the total area of lagoon reefs

and outer reefs respectively, as in Equation 1 below.

Species Density x Reef Area = Species Stock ………….Equation 1

(species density is the density of a species obtained from the UVC survey conducted in

a particular reef habitat and reef area is the estimated total area of that particular reef

habitat calculated using the reef classification and area estimates of Dr. Serge

Andrefouet from the Millennium Project).

The calculated stock estimates of each species in the different habitats are given

in Appendix IIA and the total combined stock estimate for the surveyed species

for Funafuti are given in Appendix IIB. From these tabulated stock estimates, it

can be seen that among the species in the lagoon Chrysiptera cyanea was the

most abundant, with an estimated lagoon stock of about 8.1 million individuals.

On the outer fringing reef, the Pomacentrus vaiuli was the most abundant, with a

stock estimate of 1.2 million individuals.

It should be stressed here that these calculated estimates of the stock of the

different species are first one-off estimates and assumes that fish are distributed

homogeneously and at the moment will not take into account for any temporal

and spatial variations in distributions. The calculated stock estimates will be

reviewed and improved through further repeated surveys.

In grouping the fish species into families, the stock estimates by fish family is

given in Table 3 below.

From Table 3 below, it is clear that the four most abundant groups includes

Pomacentrids with a total stock of about 24 million individuals, the most dominant

group, followed by Chaetodontids with 2.5 million, Pomacanthids with 2.2 million

and then Labridae with 1.9 million. Considering the general biology of these

family groups, being generally short lived, fast growing and therefore being quick

to mature, and including their reproductive strategies, being all year spawners or

daily spawners (as in the case of the Pomacanthids), with strong social and

territorial behaviour in spawning and in looking after their demersal eggs, these

are expected to favour successful recruitment and good support to the high

densities observed.

Table 3 Stock estimate by Family Group of Tuvalu Fish in the combined reef habitat

Family

Acanthuridae

Balistidae

Blenniidae

Nos.

Species

Stock

Estimate

568,680

141,360

111,067

StdErr_

Stock

330,857

87,892

79,366

3.6 Page 26

▲back to top

Chaetodontidae

Cirrhitidae

Gobiidae

Labridae

Microdesmidae

Mullidae

Pomacanthidae

Pomacentridae

Zanclidae

Total

21 2,451,440

960,941

67,253

51,902

59,120

47,279

20 1,929,267 1,134,216

34,267

27,898

154,013

108,141

5 2,204,493

772,692

13 23,998,943 14,042,804

57,293

27,892

Table 4 below gives stock estimates of the 10 most valuable species for the

marine aquarium trade. The most valuable among the 10 species, Pomacanthus

imperator, has the smallest standing stock of about 3,400 individuals.

Centropyge loriculus and C. flavissimus, which are two species with very high

demands, seemed to have good stocks (235,000 individuals and 1.2 million

individuals respectively). Pomacentrus vaiuli, with its very high abundance of 3.3

million individuals, could also become an important species. Given the lack of

information for giving estimates of sustainable yields, as a rule of thumb 10% of

the calculated stock estimates per year is considered conservative enough as a

start to allow the different fish species to be exploited in a sustainable manner. It

should be noted however, that, this first approximation should be refined through

a monitoring program every year.

Table 4 Estimated Stocks of 10 important marine aquarium trade species

Species

Pomacanthus imperator

Centropyge loriculus

Centropyge flavissimus

Labroides bicolor

Nemateleotris magnifica

Ctenochaetus strigosus

Gomphosus varius

Pomacentrus vaiuli

Plagiotremus laudandus

Thalassoma lunare

Stock

Estimates

3,427

235,480

1,177,200

450,800

30,840

396,253

231,640

3,278,533

111,067

225,560

StdErr_

Stock

3,427

83,484

303,229

229,890

24,471

182,765

102,644

1,144,037

79,366

135,070

10% of

Stock

343

23,548

117,720

45,080

3,084

39,625

23,164

327,853

11,107

22,556

6.4 Substrate and Habitat

General description

The bottom substrate of Funafuti Atoll has been described in other studies (Kaly,

1997). The assessment methods used in these studies were quite different and

therefore, although they could be used as indicators of the general status of coral

reefs, they would not provide a good basis for a detailed comparison. Similarly,

3.7 Page 27

▲back to top

just previous to this study, another study was conducted by the EU funded SPC

PROCFish project which utilizes a similar medium scale approach but using a

different habitat survey form and slightly different classification. The present

survey records bottom substrate using a landscape method which was

developed by the SPC Reef Fisheries Observatory (Vigliola, unpublished). The

method, basically assess the bottom substrate in 3 layers. The data from these

two recent surveys should provide similar results at the lower classification levels

and are more than likely to yield slightly different results at the higher levels of

habitat classification.

The results of the present survey are tabulated in Table 5 below. A total of 15

transects were assessed in both lagoon reef sites and outer reef sites. On each

transect, ten 5 m x 5 m quadrats were considered, thus covering 250 m2 of reef

area. This gives a total area of 3750 m2 each for the lagoon reef areas and the

outer reef areas which corresponds to 0.0096% of the total lagoon reef habitat

and 0.0146% of the total outer reef habitats respectively.

Table 5 Percentage cover of bottom substrates on Funafuti reefs

Transect/Habitat Details

Lagoon reefs2 Outer reef All reefs

Number of transects

Total habitat area (km2)

Depth (m)

Soft bottom (% cover)

Hard bottom (% cover)

Rubble & boulders (% cover)

Soft coral (% cover)

Dead Coral (% cover)

Live coral (% cover)

Bleaching coral

25.7

64.7

8 (3-14)

10 (3-20)

37.23 + 2.96

3.86 + 0.59

62.77 + 2.96

96.14 + 0.59

12.99 + 4.11

6.11 + 2.90

0.43 + 0.32

1.69 + 1.62

15.56 + 4.74

23.18 + 5.45

32.46 + 6.80

43.19 + 6.01

0.47 + 0.26

0.26 + 0.14

2 includes coastal sheltered reefs and back reefs

As given in Table 5, in the reef areas of the lagoon there is on average about

37% soft substrate (silt and sand) with the rest being hard substrates (hard

corals, slabs, rocks, rubble and boulders). On the outer reefs, there is much

lesser soft substrate (average of about 4%) with a predominant hard substrate

(average 96%). In the lagoon, much of the hard substrate was comprised of

abiotic substrates (51.5%, see Appendix V) whereas on the outer reefs this was

comprised mostly of hard corals (66.6%, see Appendix V).

Live Coral Cover

Looking at the status of corals in Funafuti, the live coral cover was higher on the

outer reefs (43%) than the lagoon reefs (33%). Dead standing intact corals were

also more common in the outer reefs (23%) compared to the lagoon reefs (16%).

Very little signs of bleaching were seen i.e. less than 0.5% in both habitats.

3.8 Page 28

▲back to top

Figure 5 below shows the different proportions of live coral types in the outer

reefs and the lagoon reefs. The lagoon is comprised mainly of branching corals,

some tabulate corals and sub-massive corals. On the outer reef the branching

corals are also dominant but there are more tabulate and encrusting corals.

Compared to the lagoon reefs, the outer reefs seemed to host a lot more

massive, digitate and foliose corals.

Percentage of coral types

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

Outer Reef

Lagoon

Habitats

Avg_Tabulate

Avg_Foliose

Avg_Branch

Avg_Digitate

Avg_Sub_Massive

Avg_Massive

Avg_Encrusting

Figure 5 Composition of live coral types in the two habitats

Other Observations

The percentage cover of other substrate types is tabulated in Appendix V. In

looking at the non-coralline bottom substrates, macro-algae seemed to be more

prominent in the lagoon compared to the reefs. This is especially true with the

calcareous algae (Halimeda sp.). No seagrass were seen in any of the survey

sites, neither in the lagoon nor in the outer reefs.

The presence of soft corals was very low in both habitats, with the lagoon having

an average cover of 0.43% and the outer reefs an average of 1.69%. Sponges

were similarly low in occurrence but were more common in the lagoon (3.70%)

than the outer reefs (1.76%).

7. Discussions and Recommendations

7.1 Potential of the Fish Resources for the Marine aquarium Trade

The results of the survey seemed to indicate that in Funafuti, there are at least 74

species that have potential for the marine aquarium trade. Given that no marine

aquarium trade operations have existed there in the past, then the stock estimate

from the survey provides a first baseline of the standing stock of the different

species. The stocks of some of these species especially, Pomacentrus vaiuli and

3.9 Page 29

▲back to top

Chrysiptera cyanea of the family Pomacentrids, are very abundant. The

Chaetodontids, the Pomacanthids and the Labrids are also quite abundant.

In considering the stocks of the 10 most valuable species among the species

recorded in the survey, it is clear that these selected species can support some

marine aquarium trade operations, even if only 10% of the stocks was allowed to

be harvested every year. It is however important to note here that should the

Tuvalu government decide to go ahead and develop the marine aquarium trade

industry in Funafuti, then the suggested 10% harvestable stock should only be

used as a basis to have a limit on the exploitation of the resource and a proper

monitoring program to monitor catch per unit effort and to collect biological

information should also be initiated. The 10% harvestable stock should also be

spread out over the year to dilute fishing pressure on the resources. Moreover, a

limit should be set on the number of exporting companies. These should all be

part of a management policy and plan which is necessary before operations are

allowed to start.

7.2 The Management Framework

Should the Tuvalu Government choose to go ahead with the development of the

marine aquarium trade in Funafuti, then it is very important that management

plan is developed and put in place. The management plan should take into

account all the administrative bodies that have some relation and legal authority

to all or any part of the coastal marine ecosystem. Evidently, the Fisheries

Department, the Environment Division, the Island Council, and the Falekaupule

working closely with the Attorney General’s Office would be no doubt form the

core group for a marine aquarium trade management and coordinating

committee. In the development of such a management plan, it is always

advisable to consult with the community to ensure that any concerns are

considered which will minimize the possibilities of future conflicts developing

once the marine aquarium trade starts.

As part of the management plan, there would also be a need to develop

management measures in the form of regulations, license conditions and fees, a

monitoring program, an effective enforcement mechanism and a sustainable

source of finance to support all these management activities.

7.3 The Infrastructure

Even though the resource might be available, this does not mean that a marine

aquarium trade will be feasible to develop. An important area that needs to be

carefully considered before deciding on this is the basic infrastructure required to

support this export industry. The most obvious factor is the availability of airline

connections from Funafuti to the market, including air cargo space available per

flight, air freight rates, the number of transits and connecting times between

flights.

3.10 Page 30

▲back to top

The availability of oxygen and packing materials and good source of electricity for

land facilities, including costs of these items, are also important considerations.

For the collection of marine organisms, one would need certified divers, good

diving gears, good source of air (compressors). All these would need to be

consistently available on the island and be in accordance with the required safety

and maintenance standards.

7.4 Future Requirements

The development of a successful marine aquarium trade industry would need

good consideration of the important factors and issues required to support such

an industry to make it economically feasible and sustainable. Advice and

assistance on undertaking such a venture can be provided through the SPC Live

Reef Fisheries Trade Initiative but would need to be formally requested through

the formal channel (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) if the Tuvalu Government wishes

to pursue this further.

The following steps provide a general guideline as to the kind of activities that will

still be required before full operations can start.

1. The Tuvalu Government reviews this report and decides if it wants to go

ahead with developing a marine aquarium trade or not.

2. If yes, then a formal request to SPC should be submitted indicating this

interest and the commitment to develop this industry.

3. A pilot study will be undertaken to assess the economic feasibility of such

a trade, which would include the whole process involved in such an

operation, from the catching of the fish right to the receipt of payment from

the overseas buyers. The study will look at both the economic and the

operational side to see the problems that would be encountered in the

whole process as well as the quality of the product when its gets to the

buyer. This study will also provide further information for making the final

decision if it will be worth getting into the trade, as well as information on

areas which can be improved to make operations more effective, including

location of market.

4. If the pilot study is a success, then a management plan and monitoring

program would need to be developed through a consultative process and

the management framework will be put in place.

5. Whilst the management plan is being developed, training can start for fish

catching, handling, husbandry procedures and packing for export.

6. Once the management plan and monitoring program is completed and

endorsed, then the operations can start. It is advisable that for the first

year only 2 marine aquarium trade licenses are awarded and that these be

monitored carefully. From the data collected from the monitoring, the

number of licenses to be awarded can then be refined.

4 Pages 31-40

▲back to top

4.1 Page 31

▲back to top

7. SPC will monitor the implementation of the management plan and the new

operations for the first year and will provide technical assistance and

advice when required.

8. Conclusions

The result of the survey indicates that a number of some important marine

aquarium trade species are present on Funafuti reefs. The abundance of these

species is adequate enough to set up a marine aquarium trade in Funafuti Atoll.

Five to ten of the most valuable species reported in the survey as listed in Table

4 would even be enough to support a small operation.

Even with this potential of the resources, there are a lot of other considerations

that the Tuvalu Government would need to look at before making any decisions

for operations to start. These considerations include logistical problems as well

as doing a cost/benefit analysis of having the trade.

If the Tuvalu Government decides to go ahead then it is very important to have a

properly designed plan to develop the trade. This should include two important

things to be taken up as the next immediate steps. These are:

1. A pilot study market trial to look at the economic feasibility of starting up

operations in Funafuti including the economics of exporting marine

aquarium trade products from Funafuti and at the same time

2. The development of a practical management framework, including a

management plan with regulations and a monitoring program, is

necessary before starting up operations.

Assistance to develop the industry, including the training of locals on

collection and handling procedures for the marine aquarium trade, can be

provided with assistance from the SPC LRFT Initiative but a formal request

would be required from the Tuvalu Government to SPC through the proper

channels.

4.2 Page 32

▲back to top

References

Clua, E., Legendre, P., Vigliola, L., Magron, F., Kulbicki, M., Sarramegna, S.,

Labrosse, P. and Galzin, R. (2006). Medium Scale Approach (MSA) for improved

assessment of coral reef fish habitat. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol 333. 219 – 230.

Fisheries Ordinance (1990). Government of Tuvalu.

Forum Secretariat (1999). Marine Ornamental Trade. Quality and Sustainability

for the Pacific Region. Pacific Island Forum Secretariat Trade and Investment

Division. Suva, Fiji. 73p.

Government of Tuvalu (2002). Population Census. Government of Tuvalu.

Holthus, P. (2001). Certification for Quality and Sustainability in the Collection,

Culture and Commerce of marine ornamentals. MAC NEWS 1st Quarter 2001.

Helfman, G. S. (1978). Patterns of community structure in fishes: Summary and

overview. Environ. Biol. Fishes 3, 129 – 148.

Jones, G. P. (1988). Experimental evaluation of the two effects of habitat

structure and competitive interactions on the juveniles of two coral reef fishes. J.

Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol 123. 115 – 126.

Kulbicki, M. and Sarramegna, S. (1999). Comparison of density estimates from

strip transects and distance sampling from underwater visual censuses: a case

study of Chaetodontidae and Pomacanthidae. Aquat. Living Resour. 12 (5)

(1999): 315 – 325.

Kulbicki, M., Labrosse, P. and Letourneur, Y. (2000). Fish stock assessment of

the northern New Caledonian lagoons: 2 – Stocks of lagoon bottom and reef-

associated fishes. Aquat. Living Resour. 13 (2) (2002): 77 – 90.

Labrosse, P., Letourneur, Y., Kulbicki, M. and Paddon, J.R. (2002). Fish stock

assessment of the northern New Caledonian lagoons: 3 – Fishing pressure,

potential yields and impacts on management options. Aquat. Living Resour. 13

(2) (2002): 91 – 98.

Mclean, R.F. and Hosking, P.L., (1992). Tuvalu Lands Resource Survey,

Funafuti. Island Report No.7, Government of Tuvalu, 58pp.

Sauni, S. (1997). An assessment of fisheries statistics in Tuvalu: with specific

reference to Funafuti and Nukufetau Islands. Unpub, M.Sc dissertation.

University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, England.

4.3 Page 33

▲back to top

Sauni, S. and Apinelu, N. (2006). PROCFish-Coastal Component Finfish Survey

– Tuvalu: The state of coral reef fish resources in Funafuti Island, Tuvalu.

Unpublished report. 35p.

Kaly, U.L. (1997). Monitoring training and first survey of Funafuti Marine

Conservation Area, Tuvalu. Report 1. SPREP/Funafuti Town Council.

Werner, E. E. and Gilliam, J. F. (1984). The ontogenetic niche and species

interactions in size-structured populations. Annu. Rev. Ecil. Syst. 15, 393 – 425.

4.4 Page 34

▲back to top

Appendices

Appendix I: List of fish species surveyed and habitat location

FAMILY/

Species surveyed

Acanthuridae

Acanthurus nigricans

Acanthurus pyroferus

Ctenochaetus strigosus

Zebrasoma scopas

Balistidae

Balistapus undulatus

Melichthys vidua

Rhinecanthus aculeatus

Sufflamen bursa

Blenniidae

Plagiotremus laudandus

Chaetodontidae

Chaetodon auriga

Chaetodon citrinellus

Chaetodon ephippium

Chaetodon lineolatus

Chaetodon lunula

Chaetodon lunulatus

Chaetodon melannotus

Chaetodon meyeri

Chaetodon ornatissimus

Chaetodon pelewensis

Chaetodon rafflesii

Chaetodon reticulates

Chaetodon semeion

Chaetodon trifascialis

Chaetodon ulietensis

Chaetodon unimaculatus

Chaetodon vagabundus

Forcipiger flavissimus

Hemitaurichthys polylepis

Heniochus acuminatus

Heniochus chrysostomus

Cirrhitidae

Paracirrhites arcatus

Gobiidae

Valenciennea strigata

Labridae

Anampses meleagrides

Anampses twistii

Coris aygula

Coris gaimard

Epibulus insidiator

Gomphosus varius

Halichoeres hortulanus

Halichoeres margaritaceus

Halichoeres melanurus

Halichoeres trimaculatus

Labroides bicolor

Labroides dimidiatus

Labropsis sp.

Macropharyngodon meleagris

Stethojulis bandanensis

Outer

Reef

Lagoon

Reef

4.5 Page 35

▲back to top

Stethojulis strigiventer

Thalassoma hardwicke

Thalassoma lunare

Thalassoma purpureum

Thalassoma quinquevittatum

Microdesmidae

Nemateleotris magnifica

Ptereleotris evides

Mullidae

Parupeneus multifasciatus

Pomacanthidae

Centropyge bicolor

Centropyge flavissimus

Centropyge loriculus

Pomacanthus imperator

Pygoplites diacanthus

Pomacentridae

Amphiprion chrysopterus

Chromis iomelas

Chromis margaritifer

Chromis sp.

Chromis ternatensis

Chromis viridis

Chrysiptera cyanea

Dascyllus aruanus

Dascyllus reticulatus

Plectroglyphidodon johnstonianus

Pomacentrus bankanensis

Pomacentrus pavo

Pomacentrus vaiuli

Zanclidae

Zanclus cornutus

4.6 Page 36

▲back to top

Appendix IIA: Density and Stock Estimates of species surveyed by habitat

Habitat

Outer Fringing Reef

Family

Acanthuridae

Balistidae

Chaetodontidae

Cirrhitidae

Gobiidae

Labridae

Species

Acanthurus pyroferus

Ctenochaetus strigosus

Zebrasoma scopas

Balistapus undulatus

Melichthys vidua

Sufflamen bursa

Chaetodon citrinellus

Chaetodon ephippium

Chaetodon lineolatus

Chaetodon lunula

Chaetodon lunulatus

Chaetodon melannotus

Chaetodon meyeri

Chaetodon ornatissimus

Chaetodon pelewensis

Chaetodon rafflesii

Chaetodon reticulatus

Chaetodon semeion

Chaetodon trifascialis

Chaetodon ulietensis

Chaetodon unimaculatus

Forcipiger flavissimus

Hemitaurichthys polylepis

Heniochus acuminatus

Heniochus chrysostomus

Paracirrhites arcatus

Valenciennea strigata

Anampses meleagrides

Anampses twistii

Density

/ m2

0.00187

0.00627

0.00027

0.00253

0.00053

0.00040

0.00133

0.00093

0.00160

0.00053

0.00027

0.00013

0.00080

0.00307

0.00320

0.00707

0.00013

0.00747

0.00107

0.00027

0.00120

0.00360

0.00013

0.00067

0.00160

0.00027

0.00013

Density

/1000 m2

1.86667

6.26667

0.26667

2.53333

0.53333

0.40000

1.33333

0.93333

1.60000

0.53333

0.26667

0.13333

0.80000

3.06667

3.20000

7.06667

0.13333

7.46667

1.06667

0.26667

1.20000

3.60000

0.13333

0.66667

1.60000

0.26667

0.13333

StdErr

Density

0.00149

0.00189

0.00018

0.00104

0.00031

0.00029

0.00061

0.00058

0.00049

0.00053

0.00027

0.00013

0.00058

0.00114

0.00099

0.00279

0.00013

0.00196

0.00051

0.00027

0.00070

0.00252

0.00013

0.00067

0.00133

0.00027

0.00013

Stock

Estimate

47973

161053

6853

65107

13707

10280

34267

23987

41120

13707

6853

3427

20560

78813

82240

181613

3427

191893

27413

6853

30840

92520

3427

17133

41120

6853

3427

10% of

Stock

4797

16105

685

6511

1371

1028

3427

2399

4112

1371

685

343

2056

7881

8224

18161

343

19189

2741

685

3084

9252

343

1713

4112

685

343

4.7 Page 37

▲back to top

Outer Fringing Reef

Lagoon Reef

Labridae

Microdesmidae

Mullidae

Pomacanthidae

Pomacentridae

Zanclidae

Acanthuridae

Coris aygula

Coris gaimard

Gomphosus varius

Halichoeres hortulanus

Halichoeres margaritaceus

Halichoeres melanurus

Labroides bicolor

Labroides dimidiatus

Stethojulis bandanensis

Stethojulis strigiventer

Thalassoma lunare

Thalassoma purpureum

Thalassoma quinquevittatum

Nemateleotris magnifica

Ptereleotris evides

Parupeneus multifasciatus

Centropyge flavissimus

Centropyge loriculus

Pomacanthus imperator

Pygoplites diacanthus

Chromis iomelas

Chromis margaritifer

Chromis sp.

Chrysiptera cyanea

Dascyllus aruanus

Plectroglyphidodon johnstonianus

Pomacentrus bankanensis

Pomacentrus pavo

Pomacentrus vaiuli

Zanclus cornutus

Acanthurus nigricans

Acanthurus pyroferus

Ctenochaetus strigosus

0.00027

0.00520

0.00280

0.00013

0.00040

0.00347

0.00053

0.00093

0.00013

0.00280

0.00067

0.00120

0.00013

0.00040

0.01733

0.00840

0.00013

0.00093

0.02280

0.02222

0.00067

0.00960

0.00400

0.01440

0.00360

0.03773

0.04800

0.00147

0.00080

0.00067

0.00480

0.26667

5.20000

2.80000

0.13333

0.40000

3.46667

0.53333

0.93333

0.13333

2.80000

0.66667

1.20000

0.13333

0.40000

17.33333

8.40000

0.13333

0.93333

22.80000

22.22222

0.66667

9.60000

4.00000

14.40000

3.60000

37.73333

48.00000

1.46667

0.80000

0.66667

4.80000

0.00027

0.00246

0.00125

0.00131

0.00013

0.00021

0.00124

0.00024

0.00064

0.00013

0.00158

0.00054

0.00095

0.00013

0.00029

0.00408

0.00249

0.00013

0.00043

0.00913

0.00899

0.00067

0.00960

0.00345

0.00981

0.00243

0.02343

0.02115

0.00053

0.00067

0.00054

0.00274

6853

133640

71960

3427

10280

89093

13707

23987

3427

71960

17133

30840

3427

10280

445467

215880

3427

23987

585960

571111

17133

246720

102800

370080

92520

969747

1233600

37693

39200

32667

235200

685

13364

7196

343

1028

8909

1371

2399

343

7196

1713

3084

343

1028

44547

21588

343

2399

58596

57111

1713

24672

10280

37008

9252

96975

123360

3769

3920

3267

23520

4.8 Page 38

▲back to top

Lagoon Reef

Acanthuridae

Balistidae

Blenniidae

Chaetodontidae

Cirrhitidae

Gobiidae

Labridae

Zebrasoma scopas

Balistapus undulatus

Rhinecanthus aculeatus

Plagiotremus laudandus

Chaetodon auriga

Chaetodon citrinellus

Chaetodon ephippium

Chaetodon lineolatus

Chaetodon lunula

Chaetodon lunulatus

Chaetodon ornatissimus

Chaetodon pelewensis

Chaetodon rafflesii

Chaetodon reticulatus

Chaetodon trifascialis

Chaetodon ulietensis

Chaetodon vagabundus

Forcipiger flavissimus

Heniochus chrysostomus

Paracirrhites arcatus

Valenciennea strigata

Anampses twistii

Epibulus insidiator

Gomphosus varius

Halichoeres hortulanus

Halichoeres margaritaceus

Halichoeres melanurus

Halichoeres trimaculatus

Labroides bicolor

Labroides dimidiatus

Labropsis sp.

Macropharyngodon meleagris

Stethojulis bandanensis

0.00093

0.00013

0.00227

0.00133

0.00187

0.00213

0.00093

0.00040

0.00027

0.00040

0.00013

0.00200

0.00187

0.01853

0.00067

0.00107

0.00027

0.00040

0.00053

0.00107

0.00013

0.00200

0.00280

0.00013

0.00027

0.00827

0.00187

0.00440

0.00013

0.00120

0.93333

0.13333

2.26667

1.33333

1.86667

2.13333

0.93333

0.40000

0.26667

0.40000

0.13333

2.00000

1.86667

18.53333

0.66667

1.06667

0.26667

0.40000

0.53333

1.06667

0.13333

2.00000

2.80000

0.13333

0.26667

8.26667

1.86667

4.40000

0.13333

1.20000

0.00093

0.00080

0.00013

0.00162

0.00054

0.00077

0.00093

0.00064

0.00029

0.00027

0.00029

0.00013

0.00085

0.00093

0.00421

0.00067

0.00061

0.00018

0.00029

0.00036

0.00083

0.00013

0.00080

0.00143

0.00013

0.00027

0.00785

0.00072

0.00094

0.00013

0.00061

45733

6533

111067

65333

91467

104533

45733

19600

13067

19600

6533

98000

91467

908133

32667

52267

13067

19600

26133

52267

6533

98000

137200

6533

13067

405067

91467

215600

6533

58800

4573

653

11107

6533

9147

10453

4573

1960

1307

1960

653

9800

9147

90813

3267

5227

1307

1960

2613

5227

653

9800

13720

653

1307

40507

9147

21560

653

5880

4.9 Page 39

▲back to top

Lagoon Reef

Labridae

Mullidae

Pomacanthidae

Pomacentridae

Zanclidae

Stethojulis strigiventer

Thalassoma hardwicke

Thalassoma lunare

Thalassoma purpureum

Parupeneus multifasciatus

Centropyge bicolor

Centropyge flavissimus

Centropyge loriculus

Pygoplites diacanthus

Amphiprion chrysopterus

Chromis iomelas

Chromis margaritifer

Chromis ternatensis

Chromis viridis

Chrysiptera cyanea

Dascyllus aruanus

Dascyllus reticulatus

Plectroglyphidodon johnstonianus

Pomacentrus bankanensis

Pomacentrus pavo

Pomacentrus vaiuli

Zanclus cornutus

0.00107

0.00080

0.00453

0.00067

0.00293

0.00920

0.01493

0.00040

0.00640

0.00040

0.00133

0.00053

0.01867

0.05333

0.16560

0.00227

0.00027

0.00080

0.00213

0.11721

0.04173

0.00040

1.06667

0.80000

4.53333

0.66667

2.93333

9.20000

14.93333

0.40000

6.40000

0.40000

1.33333

0.53333

18.66667

53.33333

165.59680

2.26667

0.26667

0.80000

2.13333

117.20740

41.73333

0.40000

0.00051

0.00047

0.00269

0.00067

0.00206

0.00469

0.00405

0.00040

0.00289

0.00040

0.00108

0.00041

0.01867

0.02487

0.10812

0.00105

0.00027

0.00055

0.00213

0.07029

0.01226

0.00029

52267

39200

222133

32667

143733

450800

731733

19600

313600

19600

65333

26133

914667

2613333

8114243

111067

13067

39200

104533

5743163

2044933

19600

5227

3920

22213

3267

14373

45080

73173

1960

31360

1960

6533

2613

91467

261333

811424

11107

1307

3920

10453

574316

204493

1960

4.10 Page 40

▲back to top

Appendix IIB: Total Stock Estimates for each species for Funafuti Atoll

Family

Acanthuridae

Balistidae

Blenniidae

Chaetodontidae

Species

Acanthurus nigricans

Acanthurus pyroferus

Ctenochaetus strigosus

Zebrasoma scopas

Balistapus undulatus

Melichthys vidua

Rhinecanthus aculeatus

Sufflamen bursa

Plagiotremus laudandus

Chaetodon auriga

Chaetodon citrinellus

Chaetodon ephippium

Chaetodon lineolatus

Chaetodon lunula

Chaetodon lunulatus

Chaetodon melannotus

Chaetodon meyeri

Chaetodon ornatissimus

Chaetodon pelewensis

Chaetodon rafflesii

Chaetodon reticulatus

Chaetodon semeion

Chaetodon trifascialis

Chaetodon ulietensis

Chaetodon unimaculatus

Chaetodon vagabundus

Forcipiger flavissimus

Hemitaurichthys polylepis

Heniochus acuminatus

Total stock

39200

80640

396253

52587

110840

13707

6533

10280

111067

65333

101747

138800

69720

60720

26773

6853

3427

40160

85347

180240

273080

3427

1100027

60080

6853

52267

43907

92520

3427

10% Total Stock

3920

8064

39625

5259

11084

1371

653

1028

11107

6533

10175

13880

6972

6072

2677

685

343

4016

8535

18024

27308

343

110003

6008

685

5227

4391

9252

343

5 Pages 41-50

▲back to top

5.1 Page 41

▲back to top

Cirrhitidae

Gobiidae

Labridae

Microdesmidae

Mullidae

Pomacanthidae

Pomacentridae

Heniochus chrysostomus

Paracirrhites arcatus

Valenciennea strigata

Anampses meleagrides

Anampses twistii

Coris aygula

Coris gaimard

Epibulus insidiator

Gomphosus varius

Halichoeres hortulanus

Halichoeres margaritaceus

Halichoeres melanurus

Halichoeres trimaculatus

Labroides bicolor

Labroides dimidiatus

Labropsis sp.

Stethojulis bandanensis

Stethojulis strigiventer

Thalassoma hardwicke

Thalassoma lunare

Thalassoma purpureum

Thalassoma quinquevittatum

Nemateleotris magnifica

Ptereleotris evides

Parupeneus multifasciatus

Centropyge bicolor

Centropyge flavissimus

Centropyge loriculus

Pomacanthus imperator

Pygoplites diacanthus

Amphiprion chrysopterus

Chromis iomelas

Chromis margaritifer

36733

67253

59120

3427

9960

6853

6533

231640

209160

78493

16493

405067

101747

304693

6533

72507

76253

39200

225560

104627

17133

30840

3427

154013

450800

1177200

235480

3427

337587

19600

651293

597244

3673

6725

5912

343

996

685

653

23164

20916

7849

1649

40507

10175

30469

653

7251

7625

3920

22556

10463

1713

3084

343

15401

89627

94761

2303

2399

89956

59071

8247

27285

5.2 Page 42

▲back to top

Pomacentridae

Zanclidae

Chromis sp.

Chromis ternatensis

Chromis viridis

Chrysiptera cyanea

Dascyllus aruanus

Dascyllus reticulatus

Plectroglyphidodon johnstonianus

Pomacentrus bankanensis

Pomacentrus pavo

Pomacentrus vaiuli

Zanclus cornutus

17133

914667

2613333

8360963

213867

13067

409280

197053

6712909

3278533

57293

10280

128475

270585

908399

134467

1307

7689

10453

574316

204493

1960

5.3 Page 43

▲back to top

Appendix III: Species Mean Sizes and calculated Size Ratio to known maximum length (where available)

Habitat

Outer Reefs

Species

Acanthurus pyroferus

Ctenochaetus strigosus

Zebrasoma scopas

Balistapus undulatus

Melichthys vidua

Sufflamen bursa

Chaetodon citrinellus

Chaetodon ephippium

Chaetodon lineolatus

Chaetodon lunula

Chaetodon lunulatus

Chaetodon melannotus

Chaetodon meyeri

Chaetodon ornatissimus

Chaetodon pelewensis

Chaetodon rafflesii

Chaetodon reticulatus

Chaetodon semeion

Chaetodon trifascialis

Chaetodon ulietensis

Chaetodon unimaculatus

Forcipiger flavissimus

Hemitaurichthys polylepis

Heniochus acuminatus

Heniochus chrysostomus

Paracirrhites arcatus

Valenciennea strigata

Anampses meleagrides

Anampses twistii

Coris aygula

Mean

Size (cm)

3.64

2.06

4.50

7.58

9.50

9.00

4.00

7.50

9.71

8.17

8.00

5.00

11.00

11.67

5.74

7.46

6.66

18.00

7.57

7.75

4.00

9.56

8.78

20.00

3.00

4.75

2.00

6.00

8.00

7.00

Std.Err_

MeanSize

1.29

0.32

3.18

1.52

3.88

4.50

2.00

2.50

4.34

2.58

5.66

5.00

7.78

5.83

1.43

1.56

1.05

12.73

0.94

3.16

4.00

3.61

2.53

20.00

3.00

1.50

2.00

4.24

8.00

4.04

Size

Ratio

0.15

0.11

0.23

0.25

0.27

0.38

0.31

0.33

0.32

0.41

0.53

0.33

0.61

0.46

0.50

0.42

0.78

0.42

0.52

0.20

0.43

0.49

0.80

0.19

Std.Err_

SizeRatio

0.05

0.02

0.16

0.05

0.11

0.19

0.15

0.11

0.14

0.13

0.38

0.33

0.43

0.31

0.11

0.10

0.07

0.55

0.05

0.21

0.20

0.16

0.14

0.80

0.19

0.27

0.19

0.07

0.04

5.4 Page 44

▲back to top

Outer Reefs

Lagoon Reefs

Coris gaimard

Gomphosus varius

Halichoeres hortulanus

Halichoeres margaritaceus

Halichoeres melanurus

Labroides bicolor

Labroides dimidiatus

Stethojulis bandanensis

Stethojulis strigiventer

Thalassoma lunare

Thalassoma purpureum

Thalassoma quinquevittatum

Nemateleotris magnifica

Ptereleotris evides

Parupeneus multifasciatus

Centropyge flavissimus

Centropyge loriculus

Pomacanthus imperator

Pygoplites diacanthus

Chromis iomelas

Chromis margaritifer

Chromis sp.

Chrysiptera cyanea

Dascyllus aruanus

Plectroglyphidodon

johnstonianus

Pomacentrus bankanensis

Pomacentrus pavo

Pomacentrus vaiuli

Zanclus cornutus

Acanthurus nigricans

Acanthurus pyroferus

Ctenochaetus strigosus

Zebrasoma scopas

7.50

5.72

7.48

5.76

5.00

5.33

4.00

5.00

5.71

4.00

6.90

5.80

5.56

6.00

5.00

4.24

3.86

10.00

9.57

2.98

2.77

3.40

2.00

2.43

4.58

2.48

2.27

2.65

10.27

3.83

8.60

2.94

6.00

3.75

0.19

0.09

0.98

0.20

0.04

1.72

0.28

0.06

1.44

5.00

2.67

0.89

2.50

2.56

4.00

1.73

2.90

2.48

6.00

2.89

0.17

0.10

0.32

0.30

0.02

0.50

0.39

0.05

10.00

0.26

3.91

0.37

0.15

0.49

0.51

1.96

1.00

0.81

0.72

0.83

0.44

0.36

2.75

0.64

0.17

2.21

0.18

0.10

4.97

0.34

0.20

0.52

0.16

0.03

4.24

0.30

0.21

5.5 Page 45

▲back to top

Lagoon Reefs

Balistapus undulatus

Rhinecanthus aculeatus

Plagiotremus laudandus

Chaetodon auriga

Chaetodon citrinellus

Chaetodon ephippium

Chaetodon lineolatus

Chaetodon lunula

Chaetodon lunulatus

Chaetodon ornatissimus

Chaetodon pelewensis

Chaetodon rafflesii

Chaetodon reticulatus

Chaetodon trifascialis

Chaetodon ulietensis

Chaetodon vagabundus

Forcipiger flavissimus

Heniochus chrysostomus

Paracirrhites arcatus

Valenciennea strigata

Anampses twistii

Epibulus insidiator

Gomphosus varius

Halichoeres hortulanus

Halichoeres margaritaceus

Halichoeres melanurus

Halichoeres trimaculatus

Labroides bicolor

Labroides dimidiatus

Labropsis sp.

Macropharyngodon meleagris

Stethojulis bandanensis

Stethojulis strigiventer

7.29

5.65

11.60

7.14

9.63

10.14

14.00

8.00

5.00

8.67

8.71

8.42

10.80

9.25

6.00

14.00

4.25

4.88

6.00

24.00

7.53

6.33

6.00

5.00

5.87

5.21

4.15

5.00

3.00

5.00

5.13

2.75

0.24

0.09

2.53

3.87

0.58

0.19

2.53

0.55

0.19

2.57

0.42

0.11

5.86

0.34

0.20

8.08

0.70

0.40

8.00

0.53

5.66

0.42

0.30

5.00

0.40

2.61

0.58

0.17

2.76

0.54

0.17

0.79

0.47

0.04

6.24

0.72

0.42

4.14

0.40

0.18

3.46

0.27

0.16

8.08

0.88

0.51

2.45

2.18

6.00

16.97

0.69

0.48

2.09

0.27

0.07

1.45

0.23

0.05

6.00

3.54

1.20

1.35

0.85

5.00

3.00

2.04

2.29

5.6 Page 46

▲back to top

Lagoon Reefs

Thalassoma hardwicke

Thalassoma lunare

Thalassoma purpureum

Parupeneus multifasciatus

Centropyge bicolor

Centropyge flavissimus

Centropyge loriculus

Pygoplites diacanthus

Amphiprion chrysopterus

Chromis iomelas

Chromis margaritifer

Chromis ternatensis

Chromis viridis

Chrysiptera cyanea

Dascyllus aruanus

Dascyllus reticulatus

Plectroglyphidodon

johnstonianus

Pomacentrus bankanensis

Pomacentrus pavo

Pomacentrus vaiuli

Zanclus cornutus

4.83

5.79

5.20

6.95

5.10

4.32

4.33

11.33

3.33

2.80

3.50

4.14

1.67

2.45

1.88

4.00

4.83

5.31

2.66

2.85

12.67

2.42

1.37

2.60

2.20

0.23

0.07

0.76

0.34

0.05

0.44

0.31

0.03

3.06

0.43

0.31

1.75

0.44

0.07

1.92

1.62

2.02

2.39

0.42

0.40

0.71

4.00

2.42

1.77

0.38

0.28

6.33

0.79

0.40

5.7 Page 47

▲back to top

Appendix IV:

List of Funafuti transect stations and positions

Country

Tuvalu

Site

Funafuti Aquarium

Stn_Name

TR09

TR10

TR11

TR12

TR13

TR14

TR15

TR16

TR17

TR18

TR19

TR20

TR21

TR22

TR23

TR03

TR04

TR05

TR06

TR07

TR08

TR24

TR25

TR26

TR27

TR28

TR29

TR30

TR31

TR32

Habitat

coastal.back

lagoon.lagoon

Latitude

8°27'28.3788" S

8°26'50.7012" S

8°26'05.1612" S

8°25'39.0612" S

8°25'26.8788" S

8°26'00.1212" S

8°27'01.7388" S

8°28'29.82" S

8°30'11.0412" S

8°31'40.1988" S

8°33'47.0988" S

8°35'07.8612" S

8°36'52.92" S

8°38'12.66" S

8°37'51.24" S

8°25'57.4212" S

8°26'40.1388" S

8°28'14.8188" S

8°29'47.5188" S

8°30'42.2388" S E

8°29'47.5188" S

8°35'54.24" S

8°33'50.8212" S E

8°35'48.2388" S

8°34'35.4612" S

8°33'06.48" S

8°28'06.1212" S

8°27'22.14" S

8°29'26.2212" S

8°30'35.9388" S

Longitude

179°11'07.1988" E

179°10'47.9388" E

179°03'19.9188" E

179°09'40.2588" E

179°07'02.82" E

179°05'34.3788" E

179°04'17.22" E

179°40'04.08" E

179°02'04.3188" E

179°02'47.6988" E

179°02'57.5988" E

179°03'51.48" E

179°04'24.3588" E

179°04'13.26" E

179°06'18.7812" E

179°07'12.18" E

179°05'26.4012" E

179°05'05.1612" E

179°04'03.9" E

179°02'39.4188"

179°04'03.9" E

179°06'07.6788" E

179°07'32.7"

179°05'47.4" E

179°04'27.1812" E

179°03'31.68" E

179°08'29.58" E

179°09'26.1" E

179°08'06.36" E

179°08'55.7412" E

5.8 Page 48

▲back to top

Appendix V: Average bottom features for the two different habitats

Habitat

Depth_Transect

Depth_Crest

Depth_Floor

Line_Of_Sight_Visibility

Topography

Complexity

Lagoon

7.83 m

4.53 m

14.33 m

20.60 m

1.8

2.27

Std. Error

+ 0.44

+ 1.90

+ 0.24

+ 0.23

Outer Reef

9.65 m

4.60 m

16.07 m

22.41m

2.27

2.8

Hard_Substrate

Soft_Substrate

62.77

37.23

+ 8.93

96.14

3.86

Abiotic

Hard_Corals

51.51

48.49

+ 6.94

33.37

66.63

Slab

Silt

Mud

Sand

Rubbles

Small_Boulders

Large_Boulders

Rock

12.57

2.07

0.00

20.75

5.77

4.87

2.36

3.12

+ 4.41

+ 1.12

+ 0.00

+ 5.91

+ 1.88

+ 1.58

+ 0.95

+ 1.30

23.45

0.13

0.00

0.89

3.11

1.21

1.79

2.79

Live_Coral

Bleaching_Coral

Dead_Coral_In_Place

32.46

15.57

0.47

+ 6.80

+ 4.74

+ 0.26

43.20

23.18

0.26

Encrusting

Massive

Sub_Massive

Digitate

Branch

Foliose

Tabulate

2.47

0.84

9.65

0.23

22.03

0.08

13.19

+ 0.63

+ 0.33

+ 3.74

+ 0.17

+ 5.46

+ 0.08

+ 2.64

8.30

1.85

10.77

2.52

20.69

1.69

20.82

Sponges

Soft_Coral

Macro_Algae

Turf

Calcareous_Algae

Encrusting_Algae

Seagrass

Silt_Covering_Coral

Cyanophycae

3.70

0.43

9.72

7.07

18.91

2.25

0.00

1.23

0.00

+ 3.49

+ 0.32

+ 3.45

+ 3.44

+ 5.97

+ 1.31

+ 0.00

+ 0.42

+ 0.00

1.76

1.69

9.67

2.79

10.83

13.01

0.00

0.37

NOTE:

Complexity and Topography are graded from 1 (least) to 5 (most)

All Substrate descriptions are average % occurrence

Std. Error

+ 0.53

+ 1.91

+ 0.21

+ 0.14

+ 1.78

+ 7.46

+ 7.64

+ 0.09

+ 0.00

+ 0.46

+ 1.18

+ 0.64

+ 1.09

+ 1.15

+ 6.01

+ 5.45

+ 0.14

+ 2.18

+ 0.82

+ 3.67

+ 0.96

+ 6.13

+ 0.59

+ 5.87

+ 1.76

+ 1.62

+ 3.28

+ 0.82

+ 4.16

+ 4.45

+ 0.00

+ 0.21

+ 0.25