Chapter I Intro & Objectives - SPREP

PHOENIX ISLANDS PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN
Chapter III. Background, 4. Marine Resources
Draft 1 March 2007
Table III-4.3. Comparison of Tokelau and Phoenix Islands abundance of Napoleon
wrasse (+ SE), 30 minute swim (source: Kerr and Wragg 2006).
Pierce et al (2006) reported conducting marine fish surveys opportunistically during their
terrestrial surveys. Results were similar to the New England 2000 and 2002 expeditions (see
Stone et al 2001, and Obura and Stone 2003).
ABARIRINGA (CANTON, KANTON)
The Abariringa (Canton) lagoon was infested with shark, moray eel, and ray (Hydrographic
Office 1940).
In 1939, Schultz (1949) observed a very large brown eel, Enchelynassa canina, 2.1 m (7 ft) in
length in Abariringa (Canton).
Schultz (1943) documented fish species collected during the 1939 survey expedition of the
Phoenix Islands by the U.S.S. Bushnell. Fish collections were done at Abariringa (Canton),
McKean, Enderbury, and Orona (Hull).
Halstead and Bunker (1954) collected fish species from Abariringa (Canton), Enderbury,
Orona (Hull) and Manra (Sydney) by hook and line, beach seind, spear, throw net, dip net,
and rotenone poisoning. Grovhoug and Henderson (1978) noted that although informative,
information collected by Halstead and Bunker (1954) on fish species was not quantitative.
During the 1973 Abariringa (Canton) atoll lagoon survey, 264 species of fish were identified
(Oates 2003).
Smith and Henderson (1976 and 1978) reported 264 species of fish from 50 families on
Abariringa (Canton). The number of fish and number of fish species in the lagoon decreased
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