Live Coral Fishery for Aquaria in Fiji: Sustainability and Management Regional Workshop on CITES Non-Detriment Findings for Marine Listed Species May 17-20, 2010 Edward R. Lovell, School of Islands and Oceans, University of the South Pacific 1 The Live Coral Resource Coastal peoples need to make use of their marine resources. Live coral represents a resource that is under utilized in terms of sustainability. Recent resource assessments have indicate high abundance of commercially important species. Exports are few when compared to the natural abundance & the small aquarium size corals (< 15cm) are of little impact in terms of the reduction of living coral cover. 2 1
The CITES management of this resource has been inappropriately restrictive resulting in detriment to the local and national economy. 3 Aquarium Fishery Products 1) Live coral is not curio coral 2) Not other aquarium organisms (fish & mobile invertebrates) 3) Not live rock 4) It is a fishery like any other 44 2
Nature of live coral collections a) Size limitation - small (3cm-12cm colony diameter) so removal of living coral cover small. b) Large reef collection areas - minimizes i i overall impact. c) High diversity of reefs and habitats in the collection areas. d) Customary Fishing Rights Area, limits collection to a known area. 5 e) one operator, one area allows conservation management f) Vast areas of uncollected reef ensure recruitment. g) % corals collected very small compared to: total number of the corals eligible for collection much smaller percentage of all corals on the reef. 6 3
Resource and collection area management plans 25 reports on the aquarium trade in Fiji 7 Recent history: Self imposed quota system Tardy legislation: signatory 1998, legislation 2002 Placate the NDF requirement to allow trade Lack of the non-detriment finding resulted SC, MA mandating reduction of quotas by 25% /year with economic impacts at the local and national level. 88 4
Fiji s Dept. of Fisheries & Institute of Marine Resources (IMR), University of the South Pacific Resource assessment as the basis for a non-detriment finding (NDF) Aquarium Fish, Fiji & Walt Smith Intl. Methodology approved by the CITES Scientific Council. Two field teams capable of coral identification & survey. Sampled the reef flat within ihi the collecting area using 5 m x 20m transects and assessing coral colony numbers, colony sizes and percentage of living cover. 9 9 Walt Smith International NW Viti Levu Aquarium Fish 10 Fiji: Beqa Lagoon 5
Aquarium Fish Fiji survey 11 % Substrate Composition Reef Site Living Hard Coral Acropora Non-Acropora Bommie Nth of 47 22 25 53 Frigate pass (1) 49 22 27 51 (2) 57 25 32 43 Inside Frigate passage 48 34 14 52 Kauviti Rf. 40 14 26 60 Kayamotu Rf. 30 16 14 70 Naitata Rf. 56 11 45 44 Northeast Beqa I. 69 13 56 31 Ravodrau Rf. (1) 53 11 42 47 Ravodrau Rf. (2) 43 8 35 57 Shark Rf. 46 9 37 54 Valei Rf. 58 18 40 42 Vatusolo Rf. 73 34 29 27 Overall average 51 18 33 49 Abiotic, Benthos, Coralline algae 12 6
CITES export categories Colonies estimated in collecting area No. of colonies exported in 2007 % (exported vs. abundance) Acropora spp. 73,300,336 10,360 0.014 Porites spp. 38,371,585, 528 0.001 Pocillopora spp. 33,519,251 929 0.003 Favites spp. 15,752,967 592 0.004 Platygyra spp. 14,291,764 961 0.007 Montipora spp. 12,810,545 755 0.006 Pavona spp. 12,290,216 0 0.000 Seriatopora hystrix 8,041,251 1,488 0.019019 Favia spp. 7,826,442 1,111 0.014 Turbinaria spp. 6,793,906 590 0.009 Goniastrea spp. 5,954,752 1,008 0.017 Fungia spp. 5,784,762 0 0.000 Galaxea fascicularis 5,344,399 377 0.007 13 CITES export categories Colonies estimated in collecting area No. of colonies exported in 2007 % (exported vs. abundance) Montastrea spp. 5,167,769, 0 0.000 Hydnophora rigida 4,398,521 517 0.012 Merulina ampliata 4,201,175 0 0.000 Echinopora spp. 3,992,497 0 0.000 Millepora spp. 3,159,877 0 0.000 Stylophora spp. 2,456,164 518 0.021 Leptoria phrygia 2,395,338 0 0.000 Merulina scabricula 1,966,740, 280 0.014 Polyphyllia talpina 1,775,923 0 0.000 Symphyllia spp. 1,560,688 0 0.000 Psammocora 1,524,122 0 0.000 Tubipora musica 1,143,246 2,641 0.231 Leptastrea spp. 1,054,169 0 0.000 Mycedium 1,042,404 50 0.005 elephantotus 14 7
Coral numbers and % of corals collected in 2006 (Walt Smith International). Lovell & McLardy 2008 15 Table 5. Estimates of coral numbers and percentages of corals collected for the entire collecting area for Aquarium Fish Fiji (AFF) in 2006. Coral Reef Area and Exports Collectible corals Noncollectible corals Total coral number Estimated coral numbers 8,272,800 33,003,000 41,275,800 Percentage of corals in 20.0 80.0 - each category Number of corals exported 48,683 - - in 2006 Coral exports as a percentage of collectible, and total coral 0.59% 0.12% Lovell & McLardy 2008 16 8
Fiji s quota 36 genera incl. 81 species not in quota 27 genera and 28 species level taxa 11 generic categories have 0 quota Challenge: to convert species abundance from the resource assessment to quota figures. Figures need to be calculated for each collecting area. Requires a formula or guidelines. 17 Quota ranking system: proposed by the 2004 NDF meeting in Suva (Parry-Jones R. 2004). Scale 0%=3% for each taxa dependent on accumulated points Points scored for : Size of collecting area; State of luxuriance; Colony form; Growth rate; Reproductive p mode; Relative community abundance; Vulnerability. 18 9
Benefits of CITES convention in the conservation of fauna and flora: Kudos for being on the CITES team. Eligibility for trading with the European Union: Commercial and tourism benefits. The composition of the SC and MA should provide varied viewpoints resulting in wise decisions. 19 Keeping export records is required for quota compliance. Without those numbers there would be no comparison of our exports vs. field abundance. Highlighting the nature of coral reefs and their coral assemblages through survey and monitoring. An accurate description of the fishery 20 10
Problems with the CITES convention in Fiji The composition is designated by legislation. Members are often unaware or non-expert regarding the issues. Compliance expensive in terms of fees, employees time (e.g. meetings (SC, MA, CoP, Oceania, workshops), kh preparation of annual reports and permitting administration. Loss of trade due to periodic bans and constraining quotas. 21 The CITES conservation mindset appropriate for large, rare animals, but is applied to those which are highly abundant and reproductive. Management bias due to NGO s with conservation agenda neglecting the sustainable nature and benefits of the fishery. This has resulted in a disconnect between the objectives of conservation and sustainable economic benefit, whether coastal people or the Nation. 22 11
The Way Forward - Address the CITES related difficulties Giving value to coral reefs is the best way to conserve them CITES process must temper its conservation influences and being more supportive of this sustainable fishery 23 12