Chapter I Intro & Objectives - SPREP

PHOENIX ISLANDS PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN
Chapter III. Background, 4. Marine Resources
Draft 1 March 2007
Enneapterygius nigricauda (none)
Gobiidae (Gobies) Amblygobius phalaena
Callogobius plumatus
Callogobius sclateri
Paragobiodon modestus
Acanthuridae (Surgeon and
Unicornfishes
Priolepis nocturna
Acanthurus nigricans
Acanthurus nigrofuscus
Zebrasoma scopas
Zebrasoma veliferum
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Brown-barred goby
Feather goby
Pacific flap-headed goby
Warthead goby
(none)
White cheek surgeonfish
Brown surgeonfish
Brown tang
Sailfin tang
Holloway (2002) noted that region’s first six-gill and sleeper sharks were recorded at 914 m
(3,000 ft) depth in the Phoenix Islands.
Randall and Randall (2001a) reviewed the Kuhliidae genus Kuhlia. It was noted that Kuhlia
petiti was only known from the Phoenix Islands and the Marquesas Islands. Specimens
examined included fish from Abariringa (Canton), Orona (Hull), and Enderbury.
Bernardi et al (2002) examined color patterns of the damsel fish, Dascyllus auripinnis, from
the Phoenix Islands. Relationships with other species of Dascyllus were examined based on
mitochondrial DNA results.
Bernardi et al (2003) noted that the three-spot damselfish from the Phoenix Islands, Dascyllus
auripinnis, did not group in monophyletic clade, but rather intermixed with D. trimaculatus.
In 2002, fish dive surveys were conducted in the Phoenix Islands (Obura and Stone 2003). In
addition, and ROV and Dropcam were used to record species of fish. Abariringa, Birnie,
Enderbury, Manra, Nikumaroro, Orona, and Rawaki were surveyed. During these surveys,
an additional 217 new species were identified for the Phoenix Islands. That brings the total
number of fish species recorded for the Phoenix Islands to 518 comprising 192 species
identified in Schultz (1943), 100 species reported in the 2000 expedition (Stone et al 2001), 9
species recorded from various generic revisions, and 217 in the 2002 survey.
As part of the 2002 fish dive surveys, fish abundance was estimated (Obura and Stone 2003).
Fish densities averaged 0.522 fish per m 2 . No apparent pattern was seen regarding fish
abundance according to site exposure or island. Overall, fish populations were healthy and
representative of coral reef communities.
Obura and Stone (2003) reported that tissue samples were taken of key species.
Indicator species had similar abundance in 2002 (Obura and Stone 2003) as in 2000 (Stone et
al 2001). The exceptions were dogtooth tuna and sharks, both of which declined significantly
in abundance. Dogtooth went from being present in 75% of large fish sampled (in 2000, see
Stone et al 2001) to zero in 2002 (Obura and Stone 2003). Reef shark density was similar
between 2000 and 2003 in Enderbury, Nikumaroro, and Birnie. On Rawaki (Phoenix),
Manra, Abariringa (Kanton), and Orona, shark density had dropped significantly and were
absent in many sites.