Individual identification of bony fishes using unique body markings: Implications and applications.

The natural variation in animal body markings, such as spots, stripes and blotches, offers a powerful tool for researchers, conservationists, citizen scientists and resource managers to distinguish specific individuals within species. By building libraries of photo-identified individuals, we can track and differentiate individuals over time and space, thereby non-invasively and often cost-effectively studying species' biology and behaviour. This, in turn, enhances our understanding of species' ecological roles, and informs and supports effective conservation strategies.

From local knowledge and science to policy: Lessons learned from Fiji's valuable grouper fisheries.

Pacific Island communities are heavily dependent on fisheries for subsistence and livelihoods. Yet, despite their importance, coastal fisheries are poorly managed and commercial pressures increasingly threaten them. Groupers (Epinephelidae) are exceptionally vulnerable to overexploitation due to aspects of their biology while their economic value makes them a prime target for commerce.

Population Genetic Structure of A Marine Pelagic Egg Producer and Popular Marine Aquarium Species, the Mandarinfish .

The mandarinfish is extensively collected in Southeast Asia (mainly in the Philippines) and highly favoured for the marine aquarium trade. Males are more popular than females for their large first dorsal fins and the fishery is not managed. To examine possible population replenishment dynamics arising as a result of selective fishing, the effects of sex-selective fishing on sex ratios and population connectivity were considered.

Trawl ban in a heavily exploited marine environment: Responses in population dynamics of four stomatopod species.

Intensive trawling activities in Hong Kong waters have seriously depleted fishery resources and damaged marine benthic habitats over the last four decades. To minimize further destruction and rehabilitate fishery resources, the Hong Kong Government implemented a permanent territory-wide trawling closure on 31 December 2012. Such a trawl ban creates a unique opportunity to investigate recoveries in ecosystem structure and function following a major shift in disturbance regime by removing impacts from a major gear.

Contrasting population genetic structure in three aggregating groupers (Percoidei: Epinephelidae) in the Indo-West Pacific: the importance of reproductive mode.

Background: Understanding the factors shaping population genetic structure is important for evolutionary considerations as well as for management and conservation. While studies have revealed the importance of palaeogeographic changes in shaping phylogeographic patterns in multiple marine fauna, the role of reproductive behaviour is rarely considered in reef fishes. We investigated the population genetics of three commercially important aggregating grouper species in the Indo-West Pacific, namely the camouflage grouper Epinephelus polyphekadion, the squaretail coral grouper Plectropomus areolatus, and the common coral trout P.

Age and growth of black seabream Acanthopagrus schlegelii(Sparidae) in Hong Kong and adjacent waters of the northern South China Sea.

Age and growth of the black seabream Acanthopagrus schlegelii (family Sparidae) from the northern South China Sea (NSCS) were studied by reading growth rings in sectioned sagittal otoliths. Ring formation frequency was determined to be annual by using marginal increment analysis. The von Bertalanffy growth function parameters were estimated as: L  = 43.

Opportunity for marine fisheries reform in China.

China's 13th Five-Year Plan, launched in March 2016, provides a sound policy platform for the protection of marine ecosystems and the restoration of capture fisheries within China's exclusive economic zone. What distinguishes China among many other countries striving for marine fisheries reform is its size-accounting for almost one-fifth of global catch volume-and the unique cultural context of its economic and resource management. In this paper, we trace the history of Chinese government priorities, policies, and outcomes related to marine fisheries since the 1978 Economic Reform, and examine how the current leadership's agenda for "ecological civilization" could successfully transform marine resource management in the coming years.

Transforming management of tropical coastal seas to cope with challenges of the 21st century.

Over 1.3 billion people live on tropical coasts, primarily in developing countries. Many depend on adjacent coastal seas for food, and livelihoods.

Population structure and phylogeography in Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus), a mass-aggregating marine fish.

To address patterns of genetic connectivity in a mass-aggregating marine fish, we analyzed genetic variation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), microsatellites, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus). We expected Nassau grouper to exhibit genetic differentiation among its subpopulations due to its reproductive behavior and retentive oceanographic conditions experienced across the Caribbean basin. All samples were genotyped for two mitochondrial markers and 9 microsatellite loci, and a subset of samples were genotyped for 4,234 SNPs.

Spatial distribution of ciguateric fish in the Republic of Kiribati.

Ciguatera is food poisoning caused by human consumption of reef fish contaminated with ciguatoxins (CTXs). The expanding international trade of tropical fish species from ciguatera-endemic regions has resulted in increased global incidence of ciguatera, and more than 50000 people are estimated to suffer from ciguatera each year worldwide. The Republic of Kiribati is located in the Pacific Ocean; two of its islands, Marakei and Tarawa, have been suggested as high-risk areas for ciguatera.

The impact of conservation on the status of the world's vertebrates.

Using data for 25,780 species categorized on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, we present an assessment of the status of the world's vertebrates. One-fifth of species are classified as Threatened, and we show that this figure is increasing: On average, 52 species of mammals, birds, and amphibians move one category closer to extinction each year. However, this overall pattern conceals the impact of conservation successes, and we show that the rate of deterioration would have been at least one-fifth again as much in the absence of these.

A global baseline for spawning aggregations of reef fishes.

Species that periodically and predictably congregate on land or in the sea can be extremely vulnerable to overexploitation. Many coral reef fishes form spawning aggregations that are increasingly the target of fishing. Although serious declines are well known for a few species, the extent of this behavior among fishes and the impacts of aggregation fishing are not appreciated widely.