Management Report for Bumphead Parrotfish (Bolbometopon
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Management Report for Bumphead Parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) Status Review under the Endangered Species Act: Existing Regulatory Mechanisms (per Endangered Species Act § 4(a)(1)(D), 16 U.S.C. § 1533(a)(1)(D)) and Conservation Efforts (per Endangered Species Act § 4(b)(1)(A), 16 U.S.C. § 1533(b)(1)(A)) September 2012 Bumphead parrotfish for sale in market, Aceh, Indonesia (photo provided by Crispen Wilson) Pacific Islands Regional Office National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Department of Commerce Executive Summary Introduction On January 4, 2010, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) received a petition from WildEarth Guardians to list bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) as either threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In response, NMFS issued a 90-day finding (75 Fed. Reg.16713 (Apr. 2, 2010)), wherein the petition was determined to contain substantial information indicating that listing the species may be warranted. Thus, NMFS initiated a comprehensive status review of bumphead parrotfish, which was completed jointly by our Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) and Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO). PIFSC established a Bumphead Parrotfish Biological Review Team (BRT) to complete a biological report on the status of the species and threats to the species (hereafter “BRT Report”, cited as Kobayashi et al. 2011). PIRO staff completed this report on management activities affecting the species across its range, including existing regulatory mechanisms and non- regulatory conservation efforts (hereafter “Management Report”). The BRT Report and Management Report together constitute the comprehensive bumphead parrotfish status review. The process for determining whether a species should be listed as threatened or endangered is based upon the best scientific and commercial data available and is described in sections 4(a)(1) and 4(b)(1)(A) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. § 1533(a)(1)). A species may be listed due to any one of the five listing factors: (A) the present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range; (B) overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes; (C) disease or predation; (D) the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; or (E) other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence In addition, Section 4(b)(1)(A) of the ESA requires NMFS to take into account conservation efforts being made to protect a species that has been petitioned for listing (§ 1533(b)(1)(A)). Factors A, B, C, and E above were considered in the BRT Report (Kobayashi et al. 2011). Factor D and conservation efforts were not considered by the BRT in its report. As such, the first purpose of this report is to identify existing regulatory mechanisms, as per ESA Section 4(a)(1)(D), that address threats to bumphead parrotfish identified by the BRT. The second purpose of this report is to identify conservation efforts that may have a beneficial effect on the status of bumphead parrotfish as per ESA Section 4(b)(1)(A). The purpose of this Management Report is to summarize existing regulatory mechanisms and conservation efforts relevant to the extinction risk of bumphead parrotfish. The information in this report will then be used in the Bumphead Parrotfish 12-month Finding to determine whether these existing regulatory mechanisms and conservation efforts contribute to the species’ extinction risk. i Species Range and Threats Bumphead parrotfish occur in 45 countries in the Indo-Pacific region and in disputed areas in the South China Sea (Paracel and Spratly Islands). Bumphead parrotfish habitat consists primarily of coral reefs for adults, and mangroves, coral reef lagoons, and backreefs for juveniles (Kobayashi et al. 2011). Habitat is distributed very unevenly among the 46 areas, with only five countries (i.e. Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, France, and Papua New Guinea) possessing over 60% of total coral reef area in the 46 areas (Table 2; Appendix A-1). Likewise, Indonesia possesses approximately 40% of total mangrove area in the 46 areas (Table 3, Appendix B). Bumphead parrotfish are susceptible to a variety of threats, as described in Chapter 3 of the BRT Report (Kobayashi et al. 2011). Adult harvest and juvenile habitat loss are the highest-ranked threats that currently exist and are expected to persist into the future. Other threats to bumphead parrotfish that can be addressed via regulatory mechanisms designed to regulate human behavior are adult habitat loss, global warming, ocean acidification, juvenile harvest, and pollution, all of which received current and future impact ratings ranging from nil+ (i.e. very low) to medium+ severity by the BRT (Table 4 below, Kobayashi et al. 2011). The seven threats that can be addressed via regulatory mechanisms fall into three groups: (1) Harvest (adult harvest, juvenile harvest); (2) Habitat Loss/Degradation (juvenile habitat loss/degradation, adult habitat loss/degradation, pollution); and (3) Climate Change (ocean warming, ocean acidification). Bumphead parrotfish possess certain life history characteristics that increase their vulnerability to harvest, such as nocturnal resting behavior, diurnal feeding behavior, large size, accessible habitat choices, and conspicuous coloration. Indo-Pacific coral reef fisheries are nearly as diverse as the species they target, and include many subsistence, commercial, and sport/recreational fisheries employing a vast array of traditional, modern, and hybrid methods and gears (Newton et al. 2007; Wilkinson 2008; Armada et al. 2009; Cinner et al. 2009b). Selective gears and methods are used to target and harvest individual bumphead parrotfish, while less selective gears and methods are used to harvest many different species, which sometimes includes bumphead parrotfish. Selective gears include spears and related gears (e.g., harpoons, bangsticks, bow-and-arrow), as well as hook-and-line and poisoning. Less selective gears and methods include gillnets, drive nets, traps, pots, weirs, and corrals, small-mesh seine nets, and blasting. Habitat loss and degradation threatens both adults and juveniles, and pollution is a threat throughout all bumphead parrotfish habitat types. Along with adult harvest, loss and/or degradation of juvenile habitat (i.e. mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, coral reef lagoons) was rated as the most severe threat to bumphead parrotfish by the BRT. Juvenile bumphead parrotfish habitat includes mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, coral reef lagoons, and likely other coastal habitats. These nearshore, shallow water areas are vulnerable to pollution, modification, and impacts from coastal development. Loss and/or degradation of adult habitat (coral reefs) and pollution were rated as lower severity threats, but are predicted to worsen in the future (40-100 years) in the absence of management. Coral reefs are susceptible to a variety of local (e.g., pollution, ship groundings) and global (e.g., global warming, ocean acidification; addressed separately below) threats. As with juvenile habitat loss/degradation, the vast array of coastal management regulatory mechanisms are relevant for adult habitat loss/degradation. ii Climate Change threats to bumphead parrotfish include global warming and ocean acidification. Impacts from these threats are likely to be somewhat indirect because warming and acidification are predicted to have negative consequences for coral reefs, the primary habitat type for adult and large juvenile bumphead parrotfish. Ocean warming is a primary driver of coral bleaching, wherein corals expel their symbiotic zooxanthellae in response to stress. It is also a primary cause of increased prevalence and severity of coral diseases by creating an environment for pathogens to grow faster and be more virulent. Ocean acidification may reduce coral calcification, leading to reduced coral growth rates and increased mortality, among many other detrimental effects. The BRT rated both threats as lower severity than adult harvest and juvenile habitat loss, but as increasing in severity in the future. Regulatory Mechanisms A wide variety of governance structures, laws, statutes, and regulations exist throughout the 46 areas within bumphead parrotfish range. Existing regulatory mechanisms summarized in this Management Report include international treaties, laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and/or regulations enacted and being implemented by some governing body or official, whether they are international organizations, national governments, state and local authorities, heads-of-state, or other so empowered officials, affecting the status of bumphead parrotfish. The manner in which regulatory mechanisms address Harvest and Habitat Loss/Degradation threats is much different than how they address Climate Change threats. As such, these two types of threats were addressed separately in the summary of regulatory mechanisms. Regulatory mechanisms within the range of bumphead parrotfish in relation to Harvest and Habitat Loss/Degradation threats were grouped into two categories: (1) Regulatory mechanisms for fisheries and coastal management; and (2) Additional regulations within MPAs and other relevant protected areas (e.g., mangroves). Generally, the first level encompasses a broad array of laws and decrees across many jurisdictional scales from national to local, whereas the second level consists of additional regulations that may apply within MPAs/protected areas in