Precious Coral Fisheries of Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Islands

The precious coral fishery in Hawaii and the Western Pacific consists of one industry but two distinct and separate fisheries. The first is the harvest of black coral by scuba divers from depths of 30-100 m. The second is a fishery for pink and gold coral at depths between 400 and 1500 m and employs either a human-operated submersible that permits selective harvest or tangle net dredges which are nonselective. The modern history of these fisheries date from 1958 until the present. In this paper the ecology, life history. and management of the dominant species that make up these fisheries are reviewed. Research needs of the fisheries and the economic and future prospects of the precious coral industry are also described. At the present, the precious coral jewelry industry in Hawaii (all species) is valued at about $25 million at the retail level.

Background Concepts for a Rotating Harvesting Strategy with Particular Reference to the Mediterranean Red Coral, Corallium rubrum

A simple cohort model was used as the basis for selecting the appropriate periodicity and number of separate unit areas in a rotating harvest scheme for a sedentary species, the red coral, Corallium rubrum, in the General Fisheries Management Council for the Mediterranean area. The rotation period in years, and hence the minimum number of unit areas involved, was determined on the basis of the time to maximum biomass by a simple calculation of the yield-per-recruit type, requiring a knowledge of natural mortality and growth rates. Other criteria may be more important, however, and in general for a long-lived species, will result in shorter rotation periods. These criteria may include economic factors, criteria based on the preferred size or quality of product, or criteria that take into account the cumulative risk of illegal fishing of closed areas with time, hence the growing cost of enforcement as harvestable product accumulates. For red coral, although maximum biomass is predicted to be reached after some 15-44 years, the above considerations suggest that a rotation period ofsome 9-15 years would be close to optimal, taking into account a range ofthe above considerations. This article discusses the relative merits of rotating harvest schemes in contrast to quota management for sedentary and semi-sedentary resources or geographically isolated substocks ofa mobile resource, and concludes that this approach may have considerable potential as an alternative approach to resource management.

A Review of the South Pacific Tuna Baitfisheries: Small Pelagic Fisheries Associated with Coral-Reefs

A review is given of current information concerning small pelagic fishes exploited for tuna bait in the South Pacific. These fishes are usually caught over or near coral reefs using light attraction and lift nets. The most common and widespread species are anchovies (Engraulidae), sprats (Clupeidae), silversides (Atherinidae), and herrings (Clupeidae). Recorded yields ranged from 0.5 to 2.6t/km2, and methods are described to estimate potential yields empirically in the absence of catch data. Environmental effects on small pelagic fish production are discussed, and evidence is presented to suggest that rainfall markedly affects stolephorid anchovy production. Some species of small pelagic fish, such as Selar spp., Decapterus spp., and Herklotsichthys sp., have been fished traditionally by artisanal fishermen, but anchovy and sprat stocks were probably unexploited prior to pole-and-line tuna fishing in the South Pacific.