Bumphead Parrotfish Research
Summary
TLDRRichard Hamilton from the Nature Conservancy discusses the importance of the giant parrotfish, a keystone species in coral reef ecosystems, particularly in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. These fish, known for creating sand and clearing space for new coral, are threatened by overfishing and habitat destruction due to logging. Hamilton's research reveals that protecting nursery habitats and implementing sustainable land practices are crucial for the survival of this species and the health of marine ecosystems.
Takeaways
- 🐠 Richard Hamilton works for The Nature Conservancy, focusing on coral reef fisheries in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
- 🌊 The giant parrotfish, also known as the bumphead parrotfish, is a keystone species crucial for the health of coral reef ecosystems.
- 📏 These parrotfish can grow over one-and-a-half meters in length and weigh over 50 kilograms, playing a significant role in coral reef maintenance.
- 🥖 They are called 'bio rotators' because they consume about 5,000 kilos of coral annually and produce a lot of sand, aiding in coral settlement.
- 🔍 The species is vulnerable due to overfishing, long lifespan, and the tendency to sleep in groups, making them easy targets for spearfishers.
- 🌙 The bumphead parrotfish spawn throughout the year, with a strong lunar pattern, particularly before the new moon.
- 🌱 The juveniles of this species are highly dependent on specific nursery habitats, which are often high coral cover areas in lagoons.
- 🌲 Logging and poor land-based practices are major threats to these nursery habitats, leading to a decline in the species' population.
- 📉 The destruction of nursery habitats due to logging has a direct impact on the health of the fishery and the overall marine ecosystem.
- 🌳 To preserve the bumphead parrotfish and maintain healthy fisheries, sustainable land-based practices and the protection of nursery habitats are essential.
Q & A
What is Richard Hamilton's area of specialty?
-Richard Hamilton specializes in coral reef fisheries.
Which organization does Richard Hamilton work for?
-Richard Hamilton works for The Nature Conservancy, a non-profit environmental organization.
In which regions is Richard Hamilton's fieldwork primarily conducted?
-Richard Hamilton's fieldwork is mainly conducted in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
What is the significance of the giant parrotfish in coral reef ecosystems?
-The giant parrotfish, also known as the bumphead parrotfish, is a keystone species in healthy coral reef systems, acting as a bioeroder that produces sand and clears areas for new coral settlement.
How much coral does a large adult parrotfish consume annually?
-A large adult parrotfish consumes about 5,000 kilos of coral each year.
Why is the bumphead parrotfish vulnerable to overfishing?
-The bumphead parrotfish is vulnerable to overfishing due to its long lifespan, large size, and behavior of sleeping in large groups, which makes it an easy target for spearfishing.
What is the current conservation status of the bumphead parrotfish according to the IUCN Red List?
-The bumphead parrotfish is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
What is the primary focus of the project Richard Hamilton has been running in the Solomon Islands?
-The primary focus of the project is the bumphead parrotfish fishery in the Kea district of Isabel province, Solomon Islands.
What is the role of lagoons in the life cycle of the bumphead parrotfish?
-Lagoons play a critical role as nursery stages for the bumphead parrotfish, providing a habitat for juveniles before they move to the outer reefs.
How does the bumphead parrotfish reproduce and what is the lunar component of their spawning?
-The bumphead parrotfish reproduces by spawning on the outer reefs, releasing eggs and sperm into the water for fertilization. Their spawning has a strong lunar component, occurring just prior to the new moon.
What impact has logging had on the nursery habitats of the bumphead parrotfish?
-Logging has led to the destruction of nursery habitats due to increased sedimentation from the removal of trees and soil erosion, which has a detrimental effect on the juvenile bumphead parrotfish and overall fishery health.
What is the importance of sustainable land-based practices in preserving the bumphead parrotfish fishery?
-Sustainable land-based practices are crucial for preserving the fishery as they help maintain the health of the nursery habitats and prevent the loss of juvenile fish, which are essential for the replenishment of adult fish populations.
Outlines
🐟 Conservation of Bumphead Parrotfish
Richard Hamilton, representing the Nature Conservancy, discusses his work on coral reef fisheries, particularly focusing on the giant parrotfish, also known as the bumphead parrotfish. This species is significant for its role in creating sand and clearing areas for new coral settlement, and it is crucial for the health of marine ecosystems. Despite being overfished and listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, the bumphead parrotfish is still abundant in the Solomon Islands due to the region's extensive lagoons and outer reefs that support its life cycle. The species matures at around seven to eight years, spawns year-round with a lunar pattern, and has a long life span of about 40 years. The research conducted by Hamilton and his team aims to protect this keystone species by working with local fisheries and fishermen.
🌳 Impact of Land Practices on Marine Ecosystems
The second paragraph reveals the unexpected findings of the research on the bumphead parrotfish. While overfishing was initially suspected as the primary threat, it was discovered that land-based activities, particularly logging, have a severe impact on the fish's juvenile habitats. Logging leads to increased sedimentation in lagoons, which destroys the nursery areas essential for the survival of juvenile fish. This realization has prompted a shift in the approach to fisheries management, emphasizing the need to control land practices to protect marine ecosystems. The stark contrast between logged and unlogged areas, as observed in the research, underscores the importance of preserving these habitats for the long-term health of fisheries. The message is clear: sustainable land practices are as crucial as marine conservation efforts to ensure the survival of species like the bumphead parrotfish.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Coral Reef Fisheries
💡Giant Parrotfish
💡Keystone Species
💡Overfishing
💡IUCN Red List
💡Nursery Areas
💡Spawning
💡Sedimentation
💡Land-Based Practices
💡Ridge to Reefs Approach
Highlights
Richard Hamilton works for the Nature Conservancy, focusing on coral reef fisheries.
His fieldwork is primarily conducted in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
Hamilton's recent work centers on the giant parrotfish, also known as the bumphead parrotfish.
The bumphead parrotfish is a keystone species, crucial for healthy reef systems.
These parrotfish can reach over one-and-a-half meters in length and weigh over 50 kilograms.
They act as bio-rotor, producing sand and consuming large amounts of coral.
An adult can eat approximately 5,000 kilos of coral annually.
The species has been overfished globally, with numbers rapidly declining.
They are vulnerable due to their long lifespan, large size, and group sleeping behavior.
The bumphead parrotfish was listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
A large project in the Kea district of Isabel province focuses on the bumphead parrotfish fishery.
The Kea district is one of the richest areas globally for bumphead parrotfish.
The life cycle of these fish includes long lives, reaching up to 40 years, and maturing around seven to eight years old.
Spawning occurs throughout the year, with a strong lunar component, particularly before the new moon.
Juvenile habitats are critical and are more limited than previously thought.
The Solomon Islands have historically been rich in bumphead parrotfish, forming an important fishery.
The fishery's health was better than expected, but the impact of land-based practices was a significant surprise.
Logging and poor land practices were found to heavily impact juvenile habitats and fish populations.
A ridge-to-reef approach is necessary for managing fisheries and preserving habitats.
Sustainable land practices are essential for maintaining healthy fisheries and preserving marine resources.
Transcripts
my name is Richard Hamilton I work for
the Nature Conservancy which is a
non-for-profit environmental
organization my area specialty is coral
reef fisheries and most of my fieldwork
is conducted in the Solomon Islands and
in Papua New Guinea the last couple of
years we've been working on a big
parrotfish it's the giant parrotfish
know and commonly is the bumphead
parrotfish it's the giant of all
parrotfish it reaches over
one-and-a-half metres in length and
probably quite well over 50 kilograms
and it's it's a keystone species it's
very important in healthy systems it's
the main bio rotor which means that it
produces a lot of sand and eats a lot of
coral a large adult parrot fish will eat
about 5,000 kilos of coral every year so
they produce a great deal of sand and
they also clear out areas which allows
for the new settlement of new coral
recruits it's been overfished in a lot
of areas in the world it's got a wide
geographical distribution but it's
numbers are going down very rapidly for
all the normal reasons it's long-lived
that's naturally rare because of the
size and it has this really quite
unfortunate behavior of sleeping in
large groups the same schools which it
naturally forms during the day and that
makes it very very vulnerable to tonight
spearfishing and recently it was listed
on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable
for the last two years we've been
running a fairly large project here with
national and provincial fisheries and
also to local fishermen and the Kea
district of Isabel province Solomon
Islands and we've been focusing
exclusively on the bumphead parrotfish
fishery care district of Isabel province
probably is still one of the most rich
areas in the world for bumphead
parrotfish and that's partly because
they have both a very large area of
lagoons which is critical for the
nursery stages of that species and also
very extensive outer reefs which provide
the food for the adults the life cycle
of these these fishes you know they're
long lived they're living to about 40
years old they mature at about seven or
eight years of age at which these are a
big fish they're about 60 60 centimetres
in length the adults spawn on the outer
reefs and we found out for the research
that the spawning is throughout the year
but it has a very strong lunar component
the spawning just prior to the new moon
they spawn within their normal school so
often in the early morning there'll be a
school of 30 or 40 parrotfish and they
rush up and like a lot of fish they
release the eggs and the and the sperm
into the water so it's fertilization
within the water itself and then these
fertilized eggs will actually float
somewhere out there and then the great
out knowing for about and four to five
weeks we think and develop into little
larvae when they've reached you know
four or five weeks and age that's when
they recruit back into the lagoon all
areas and try and settle in some
suitable habitats so after about four or
five weeks they recruit back in full of
goons at a very small size I mean just
this week we've been surveying them and
we've been seeing little bumphead
parrotfish which you know no more than
two centimetres in length and and one of
the things we found out in this research
is that the the recruitment habitat of
these species is extremely limited it's
much more limited than we used to think
they're only recruiting into these
really really high coral cover in a
lagoon or fringing reefs so environments
that most people don't look in for
obvious reasons you know the dirty you
get crocodiles in there they're not
they're not sort of spectacular dive
sites or anything like that but really
really rich in all sorts of juvenile
species of fish
and and that the bumphead parrotfish
unlike a lot of species seems to almost
exclusively only recruit into that
habitat so to some extent that would
explain why you have so many bumphead
parrotfish and also fish in general here
and in the Kerr district that's just
these nurseries are just the factory
data stream churning over these some new
new fish into the system the Solomons is
pretty pretty rich in bumphead
parrotfish historically it's probably
one of the areas in the world where
there is still quite large numbers of
bumphead parrotfish it's formed an
important fishery in the Solomons or
part of a subsistence fishery for you
know hundreds thousands of years but
probably in the last forty or fifty
years it's become more and more
commercialized and that relates to the
ease of capture which is night spear
fishermen now being able to find large
numbers at night and it also relates to
the fact that just the large volume of
returned most most coral reef fish are
small but with bumphead parrotfish
approaching 40 or even 50 kilos per
individual and sleep in two given groups
it's not unusual in areas where they're
still fairly healthy to see catches
which exceeds 600 kilos in a night and
it's it's it's pretty important for a
local economy it probably puts about
quarter of a million Solomon dollars
into the local economy each year I guess
when we when we started when I started
this research I expected to find a
fishery which was under pretty heavy
fishing pressure and probably not all
that healthy a couple of things that
surprised me to really first the fishery
is healthier than I expected but the
real big surprise and the really
unexpected outcome of this research has
been that we had no concept before this
of how important these inner Lagoon or
nursery areas were for fish fish and how
heavily impact that they are by land
based practices so in this in this care
district where there's been a lot of
logging in the areas which are logged
all the nursery habitat is gone it's
just it's just destroyed the
sedimentation happens from logging I
mean you you you cut down the trees you
pull the trees the logs down to the
logging ponds and all of a sudden every
time it rains you have all this red clay
mud rushing into a
Lagoon or system which already sustains
a lot of sedimentation but it's kind of
held in check by these extensive
mangrove systems but they right at their
carrying capacity and if you take off
the top soil and then you open up an
avenue for all that soil to run into the
sieve and it just totally swamps the
whole system we've been diving in some
of these areas where there's logging and
it's it's not that Pleasant you know
there's just there's silk this high over
everything and even the big massive
balmy peratis which are probably the
hardiest : if they're starting to die as
well died was suffering from disease as
all its it's in a poor poor state we
didn't really think about the logging
issue when we started this research I
certainly didn't I mean I've seen and
read about declines in bumphead
parrotfish in a lot of places in the
Pacific and it's interesting because
myself and everyone else who has ever
worked on bumphead parrotfish has always
attributed those declines exclusively to
fishing pressure and while there's no
doubt that they are vulnerable for
fishing pressure I think the really
surprising thing well the unexpected
thing that we discovered in this
research was that it's these juvenile
habitats the destruction of those
habitats through poor land-based
practices is probably largely what's
driving the demise of that species in
many places that was a big surprise and
and for me it really changed the way I
thought about how to manage these
fisheries you really do need a rigid
Teresa proach you need to look at
controlling land-based practices if you
want to have healthy fisheries so in the
last two weeks I've done a survey
exclusively in the nurseries and we've
compared that logged area with this
other Island which are on now burrow fur
which is the last large unlogged island
in the whole of isabel province and it's
there's been a lot of pressure there's
been nine timber rights the log this
island over the last 20 years the last
one was just defeated its April and we
wrote and campaigned against not long in
that area based on its importance for
the fisheries but it's it's it's black
and white you know we did we did 20
surveys or 100 transects in the logged
area and we didn't see one juvenile
bumphead parrotfish
and all the reefs were dead or in a very
very poor state a lot of siltation and
then we've done the same thing here in
the last week and it's just like it's a
completely different world this there's
baby bump head parrotfish everywhere so
I would say I probably got it wrong
about ten years ago when I figured that
uninvited parish in the Western Province
was all over fishing it was almost
definitely a combination of destruction
of the nursery areas from logging poor
land based practices and and also heavy
fishing on the adult stocks they're
really important take-home messages that
in these areas where you have these
incredibly rich marine areas and the
rich in part or a very large part
because these very productive nursery
areas for a whole range of of juvenile
fish they already they're already under
pretty heavy natural sediment loads if
you log those islands you'll lose your
fishery the lagoon systems which support
that the high coral reef systems which
support those juveniles they'll
disappear they'll be the first ones to
go and in 10 or 15 years you won't have
any adult fish on the outer reef fever
so it's it's a strong message it's a
ridge to reefs approach it's one we're
trying to promote where as you know
stuff flows downhill you can't we could
we could do all the management we liked
on the outer reef we could set up MPAs
we could put in a closed season when
they're spawning but if logging goes hit
on this island will still lose well
still will still lose that resource
it'll be it'll be gone in 20 years time
because there will be no new fish coming
coming back in to change one's being
taken out so if you're interested in
preserving your fisheries and in having
healthy fisheries you have to also look
at good sustainable land based practices
and areas like this and this is probably
the richest area for fish anywhere in
the Solomon Islands it's remarkable just
don't log it you know just don't or
you'll you'll lose your land resources
and you'll lose your fish as well
you
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