RECOVERY PLAN for KILLIFISH in BERMUDA (Fundulus Bermudae, Fundulus Relictus)
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RECOVERY PLAN FOR KILLIFISH IN BERMUDA (Fundulus bermudae, Fundulus relictus) GOVERNMENT OF BERMUDA Ministry of Public Works Department of Conservation Services RECOVERY PLAN FOR KILLIFISH IN BERMUDA (Fundulus bermudae, Fundulus relictus) Prepared in Accordance with the Bermuda Protected Species Act 2003 Funded in part by: Primary Authors This recovery plan was prepared by: Mark Outerbridge1 and Samia Sarkis2 1Bermuda Zoological Society Bermuda 2Protected Species Coordinator Department of Conservation Services, 17 North Shore Road, Hamilton FL04 Bermuda Contact: Samia Sarkis, [email protected] Cover Photos were taken by Mark Outerbridge and Jennifer Gray All other photos in the document by Mark Outerbridge Maps were prepared by Mark Outerbridge Published by GOVERNMENT OF BERMUDA Ministry of Public Works Department of Conservation Services To conserve and restore Bermuda’s natural heritage CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................i LIST OF FIGURES ...........................................................................................................i DISCLAIMER ................................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...............................................................................................1 PART I: INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................3 A. Brief Overview ......................................................................................................3 B. Current Protection Status ....................................................................................3 C. Taxonomy and Description of Species .................................................................4 D. Ecology ...................................................................................................................5 Habitat Requirements ..........................................................................................5 Physical Factors ....................................................................................................6 Biological Factors ..................................................................................................6 General Biology .....................................................................................................7 Reproduction .........................................................................................................8 Life Cycle ...............................................................................................................8 E. Current Threats ....................................................................................................8 Habitat Loss ..........................................................................................................8 Pollution ................................................................................................................9 Predation ...............................................................................................................9 Human Collection ...............................................................................................10 F. Current Status ....................................................................................................10 Global Distribution .............................................................................................10 Local Distribution ...............................................................................................10 G. Current Conservation Action .............................................................................22 Part II: RECOVERY ..................................................................................................23 A. Recovery Goal ......................................................................................................23 B. Recovery Objectives and Criteria .......................................................................23 C. Recovery Strategy ...............................................................................................24 D. Tools Available for Strategy ...............................................................................25 E. Step-down Narrative of Work Plan ....................................................................26 F. Estimated Date of Down Listing ........................................................................30 PART III: IMPLEMENTATION ...................................................................................31 REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................32 APPENDIX I. Killifish Transfer History in Bermuda’s Ponds ....................................35 APPENDIX II. Breeding Reports ..................................................................................36 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Petersen estimates of population for Fundulus in Bermuda (Outerbridge, 2007a). ....................................................................................10 Table 2. Summary of the proposed killifish transfers among the ponds of Bermuda. .......................................................................28 Table 3. Summary of the killifish transfer history among the ponds of Bermuda .....35 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map of Bermuda showing the pond locations where Fundulus was observed during 2004–2005 ...................................................................................11 Figure 2. Aerial photograph of Lover’s Lake showing previous Fundulus trapping locations .........................................................................................12 Figure 3. Aerial photographs of Bartram’s Pond showing previous Fundulus trapping locations ..........................................................................................................13 Figure 4. Aerial photograph of the Blue Hole Bird Pond showing previous Fundulus trapping locations ..........................................................................14 Figure 5. Aerial photograph of the East Walsingham Ponds showing previous locations of where Fundulus were observed ...................................15 Figure 6. Aerial photograph of the West Walsingham Ponds showing previous Fundulus trapping locations (red) and locations where Fundulus were observed (yellow) ......................................................................16 Figure 7. Aerial photograph of Trott’s Pond showing previous Fundulus trapping locations .........................................................................................17 Figure 8. Aerial photograph of Mangrove Lake showing previous Fundulus trapping locations .........................................................................................18 Figure 9. Aerial photograph of Warwick Pond showing previous Fundulus trapping locations .........................................................................................20 Figure 10. Aerial photograph of Evan’s Pond showing previous locations of where Fundulus were observed .................................................................21 Figure 11. Schematic diagram of proposed translocation programme .......................29 i DISCLAIMER ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This investigation was initiated by the Bermuda Biodiversity Project, and funding was provided by Ernest E. Stempel Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Jonklaas of the Kenridge Fund, the Bermuda Government Department of Conservation Services, the Bermuda Fry-Angle Aquarium Society, and Mr. and Mrs. David Cox. The support of these sponsors is gratefully appreciated. Thanks are due to Dr. Sarah Manuel and Anson Nash of the Department of Conservation Services Applied Ecology Unit and also to Evan Outerbridge for providing technical assistance in the field, as well as to Dr. Brian Luckhurst and Tammy Trott at the Department of Environmental Protection for granting access to their laboratory. The drafting and publication of this recovery plan was supported in part by OTEP (BDA 202), for which we are grateful. iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Current Species Status: This recovery plan addresses the need for actions to conserve two endemic species of killifish, Fundulus bermudae and Fundulus relictus, in Bermuda. Both species are listed as Endangered (EN, B1a, biii) as per IUCN criteria, under the Protected Species Act 2003. Currently, there are no conservation measures in place for Bermuda’s killifish species. These species represent up to 50% of the ichthyofauna inhabiting some of Bermuda’s marine and brackish ponds. There is a dearth of information regarding the health and status of these Fundulus populations. As of 2006 estimates range from 436 to 11,325 mature individuals per pond. Those killifish inhabiting ponds located in parks or nature reserves are protected in part by Bermuda Parks Regulations. There is a possibility that an additional endemic Fundulus species exists, resulting from its prolonged isolation in one known pond. Habitat Requirements and Threats: These euryhaline species are highly adaptable and capable of living in water that has wide ranges in temperature and salinity. In Bermuda as of 2006 they were found in nine isolated marine and brackish water ponds, although historical distributions included marshes, canals,