Marine Resources Assessment for the Marianas Operating ... - SPREP

AUGUST 2005 FINAL REPORT
2002). Various gobies (e.g., Bryaninops, Paragobiodon, Gobiodon) live within or occur in groups
hovering above the branches of various coral species (Millepora spp., Porites cylindrica, P. lutea,
Acropora, and Cirrhipathes anguina) (WPRFMC 2001). Several genera (Amblyeleotris,
Cryptocentrus, Ctenogobiops, Vanderhorstia, Lotilia, and Mahidolia) have a symbiotic relationship
with one or more species of alpheid prawns in which the gobies occupy and/or share a burrow (Allen
et al. 2003). The gobies, either singly or in pairs, act as sentinels for the snapping shrimp (Alpheus
spp.) which maintains the burrow (WPRFMC 2001).
Life History—Gobies appear to spawn promiscuously with many individuals loosely organized into a
social hierarchy or with individuals maintaining small contiguous territories (WPRFMC 2001). Pairing
and apparent monogamy is also documented for a number of gobies (Debelius 2002). Female gobies
lay a small mass of eggs in burrows, on the underside of rocks or shells, or in cavities within the body
of sponges (Larson and Murdy 2001). Males guard the nesting site and eggs, which are attached to
the substrate at one end by a tuft of adhesive filaments (WPRFMC 2001).
♦ Lutjanidae (Snappers)
Status—Snapper species are managed in Micronesia as part of BMUS and PHCRT by the WPRFMC
(1998, 2001). Twenty-three lutjanid species occur in the CNMI and Guam (Amesbury and Myers
2001; Myers and Donaldson 2003) and have EFH designated within the boundaries of the study area
(WPRFMC 2001; NMFS 2004c). Currently, no data are available to determine if snappers of the
PHCRT are approaching an overfished situation (NMFS 2004a). Snappers are important to artisanal
fisheries where they are caught with handlines, traps, a variety of nets, and trawls (Anderson and
Allen 2001). None of the species found in the study area are listed on the IUCN Red List of
threatened species (IUCN 2004).
Distribution—Snappers occur in the subtropical and tropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and
Pacific Oceans and are represented by eight genera in Micronesia of the Indo-Pacific region (Nelson
1994; Myers 1999).
Habitat Preferences—Snappers are slow growing, long-lived fish that inhabit shallow coastal coral
reef areas to deep (0 to 400 m) slope rocky habitats (Amesbury and Myers 2001; Allen et al. 2003).
Snapper larvae tend to be more abundant in water over the continental shelf than the open ocean
waters, are absent from surface waters during the day, and undergo nighttime vertical migrations
(Leis 1987). Juveniles utilize a wide variety of shallow-water reef and estuarine habitats, whereas
adults primarily utilize shallow to deep reef and rocky substrate (WPRFMC 2001). Some snapper
species exhibit higher densities on the upcurrent side versus the downcurrent side of islands, banks,
and atolls probably due to the increased availability of allochthonous planktonic prey (Moffitt 1993).
Life History—Snappers are batch or serial spawners, spawning multiple times over the course of the
spawning season, exhibit a shorter, more well-defined spawning period, or have a protracted
spawning period (Allen 1985; Parrish 1987; Moffitt 1993). They form large aggregations near areas of
prominent relief and spawn with lunar periodicity coinciding with new/full moon events (Grimes 1987).
♦ Monacanthidae (Filefishes)
Status—Seventeen filefish species are managed in Micronesia as part of PHCRT by the WPRFMC
(2001). Eleven of these species occur in the CNMI and Guam (Amesbury and Myers 2001; Myers
and Donaldson 2003) and have EFH designated within the boundaries of the study area (WPRFMC
2001; NMFS 2004c). Currently, no data are available to determine if filefishes of the PHCRT are
approaching an overfished situation (NMFS 2004a). None of the species found in the study area are
listed on the IUCN Red List of threatened species (IUCN 2004).
Distribution—Filefishes occur in tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific
Oceans (Nelson 1994).
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