The Humphead Wrasse, Cheilinus Undulatus: Synopsis of a Threatened and Poorly Known Giant Coral Reef Fish

Sadovy, Yvonne; Kulbicki, Michel; Labrosse, Pierre; Letourneur, Yves; Lokani, P.; Donaldson, Terry J.

doi:10.1023/b:rfbf.0000033122.90679.97

Cited by 120 publications

(193 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…For sequential hermaphrodites, such a trait, which is essential to proper management, would be masked in a genetic study where life history is not taken into account. Iconic species such as the humphead wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus, and the bumphead parrotfish, Bolbometopon muricatum, have been driven locally extinct in many places , Sadovy et al 2003, Dulvy and Polunin 2004. In the past, management has generally recommended smaller size limit to catches, although it is now moving toward slot approaches where both size and quantities are taken into account.…”

Section: Spatial Planning and Restorationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The application of genetics to marine management and conservation: examples from the Indo-Pacific

Heyden¹,

Beger²,

Toonen³

et al. 2014

BMS

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ABSTRACT.-Molecular tools and analyses have played pivotal roles in uncovering the processes and patterns of biodiversity in the Indian and Pacific oceans. However, integrating genetic results into management and conservation objectives has been challenging, with few examples that show practical applicability. This review aims to address some of the perceived barriers to an enhanced approach that integrates molecular data into management and conservation goals, by reviewing papers relevant to both conservation and fisheries management in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly with respect to phylogeography, connectivity, and species identification, as well as stock delineation, restoration of depleted wild stocks, mislabeled marine resources and "molecular forensics." We also highlight case studies from each of these areas that illustrate how molecular analyses are relevant to conservation and management in the IndoPacific, spanning a variety of vertebrate and invertebrate species. We discuss the application of genetic data to the design and evaluation of the effectiveness of marine protected area networks, stock delineation, and restoration and the usage of exclusion tests and parentage analyses for fisheries management. We conclude that there is a distinct need for increasing public awareness and ownership of genetically unique lineages and, ultimately, the increased inclusion of genetic research into management policy and conservation. Finally, we make a case for the importance of clear and effective communication for promoting public awareness, public ownership, and for achieving conservation goals within the region.

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Section: Spatial Planning and Restorationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The application of genetics to marine management and conservation: examples from the Indo-Pacific

Heyden¹,

Beger²,

Toonen³

et al. 2014

BMS

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“…The humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) is a large coral reef fish that is widely distributed in the tropical Indo-Pacific region, and it is the largest living member of the family Labridae, with a maximum size exceeding 2 m and 190 kg (Sadovy et al, 2003). The humphead wrasse is the most valuable fish in the live reef food fish trade in Asia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the humphead wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus

Qi¹,

Yin²,

Luo³

et al. 2013

Genet. Mol. Res.

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ABSTRACT. The humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) is a large coral fish that has become threatened due to habitat loss and fishing pressure. We sequenced the mitochondrial genome of C. undulatus, using a normal PCR method. The complete mtDNA sequence encoded 13 protein genes, 22 tRNA genes and 2 rRNA genes. It was found to be 16,613 bp in length and had an overall H-strand base compositions of 27.3 for A, 30.9 for C, 16.8 for G, and 25.0% for T. Compared with the sequences of 8 other members of the family Labridae, gene content, genome organization, and nucleotide compositions were similar. All tRNAs formed a typical clover-leaf structure, except tRNA Ser (AGY), and most of the size variations among tRNAs stemmed from variations of length in the arm and loop of TΨC, and loop of DHU.

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“…In addition, previous analyses of UVC survey data from New Caledonia and French Polynesia, as well as a dataset collected across the geographic range of C. undulatus , found fishing pressure correlates to serious declines in C. undulatus abundance , with 10‐fold decreases in densities in fished areas compared to unfished areas (Lavides et al., 2016; Sadovy et al., 2003). We believe that the results we found differ to those of previous studies because of differences in scale.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Giant coral reef fishes display markedly different susceptibility to night spearfishing

Pearse

Hamilton

Choat

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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The humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) and bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) are two of the largest, most iconic fishes of Indo‐Pacific coral reefs. Both species form prized components of subsistence and commercial fisheries and are vulnerable to overfishing. C. undulatus is listed as Endangered and B. muricatum as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. We investigated how night spearfishing pressure and habitat associations affected both species in a relatively lightly exploited setting; the Kia fishing grounds, Isabel Province, Solomon Islands. We used fisheries‐independent data from underwater visual census surveys and negative binomial models to estimate abundances of adult C. undulatus and B. muricatum as a function of spearfishing pressure and reef strata. Our results showed that, in Kia, night spearfishing pressure from free divers had no measurable effect on C. undulatus abundances, but abundances of B. muricatum were 3.6 times lower in areas of high spearfishing pressure, after accounting for natural variations due to habitat preferences. It is likely the species’ different nocturnal aggregation behaviors, combined with the fishers’ use of night spearfishing by spot‐checking underpin these species’ varying susceptibility. Our study highlights that B. muricatum is extremely susceptible to night spearfishing; however, we do not intend to draw conservation attention away from C. undulatus. Our data relate only to the Kia fishing grounds, where human population density is low, the spot‐checking strategy is effective for reliably spearing large numbers of fish, particularly B. muricatum, and fisheries have only recently begun to be commercialized; such conditions are increasingly rare. Instead, we recommend that regional managers assess the state of their fisheries and the dynamics affecting the vulnerability of the fishes to fishing pressure based on local‐scale, fisheries‐independent data, where resources permit.

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The Humphead Wrasse, Cheilinus Undulatus: Synopsis of a Threatened and Poorly Known Giant Coral Reef Fish

Cited by 120 publications

References 24 publications

The application of genetics to marine management and conservation: examples from the Indo-Pacific

The application of genetics to marine management and conservation: examples from the Indo-Pacific

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the humphead wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus

Giant coral reef fishes display markedly different susceptibility to night spearfishing

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