03.08.2015 Views

WIOMSA-CORDIO spawning book Full Doc 10 oct 13.pdf

WIOMSA-CORDIO spawning book Full Doc 10 oct 13.pdf

WIOMSA-CORDIO spawning book Full Doc 10 oct 13.pdf

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

Plate 3 a) Bait balls for basket traps – slashed squid and gar fish mixed with sand in fine mesh bags placed in chickenwire. b) Octopus bait balls in chicken wire bags for rapid dissolving in traps setting at site.Plate 4 a) Basket traps ready for setting at aggregation site; b) shaking clove oil in sea water in “squeezy” bottle foranaesthetic.Results and DiscussionObservations on SCUBA confirmed that the E. fuscoguttatus were aggregating to spawn during theNovember 2009 new moon period at the site, with between 7 and 16 fish seen at the site. However,despite five days of intense fishing using four different methods employed by up to 4 researchersand 4 local fishers, no grouper were captured for tagging. The hand-lining did not even elicit bitesfrom the fish - it appeared the grouper were not interested in feeding. The method with the bestpotential was the clove oil: one grouper was temporarily stunned and the diver managed to gethold of it by the head but as soon as he moved the fish out of the cave it took off with tremendousforce. Presumably the action of pulling the fish through the water flushed fresh water through thegills thereby enabling rapid recovery from the clove oil anaesthesia. On a second occasion the divercould feel and hold the fish but it had wedged itself in the cave with its operculae.We believe that the use of clove could be adapted further to be successful for capturing this species.This would involve at least four divers with two squeezy bottles each, plus a further 2-3 diverswith a cast or gill net placed over the cave entrances and the divers work as a team to first stun thefish and then ensure capture in the nets as they are pulled out of the caves. An alternative whichrequires further technology development would be an underwater dart gun to stun the fish with anintra-muscular anaesthetic. The fish can then be handled and brought to the surface for tagging. Inconclusion, fishing gears such as handline with bait do not seem to be effective for capturing thisspecies when it is aggregating to spawn. We believe alternative capture methods using anaestheticssuch as clove oil or dart guns have potential but require further development.152

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!