Management hurdles for sustainable harvesting of Corallium rubrum

Declining fishing yields of the highly valuable Mediterranean red coral indicated overexploitation by the 1980s. In response, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) established management guidelines in the late 1980s, such as daily quotas, minimum size, and most importantly, the ban of dredging for coral in 1994. However, recent data led to new concerns about the sustainability of coral harvest by highlighting previous and ongoing overexploitation. The US and EU reacted in 2007 and 2009 by proposing to include the family Corallidae in CITES Appendix II to regulate trade. However, the proposals were rejected based on the hope and promise that local management would provide a less obtrusive solution. This article argues that limited resources and insufficient interdisciplinarity limit the research needed to improve management guidelines, while a lack of human and financial resources hinder local management and efficient enforcement. In particular, illegal fishing is out of control and threatens the future of the industry. Furthermore, there is no consensus on the concept of sustainability of coral fisheries. The most alarming recent development is an increasing pressure by the industry to be permitted to harvest deep populations using remote operated vehicles, which will risk depletion of the last stocks left that have not been overharvested.     

Whether to employ trade controls or fisheries management to conserve precious corals (Coralliidae) in the Northern Pacific Ocean

Precious corals (Coralliidae) have been a part of numerous aspects of human life and culture for several millennia. They differ from reef-building corals and primarily inhabit deep waters. Their characteristics of a slow renewal rate and high commercial value make them a frangible resource that is easily overexploited. Proposals to manage the main species with high commercial value through trade controls and listing in Appendix II were submitted to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 2007 and 2010. Two of the main arguments for the northern Pacific precious coral CITES proposal were the more than 60–80% decline of Corallium secundum and C. sp. nov. in landings since 1980s and lack of proper management. Although both proposals were rejected, they have sparked debates regarding the benefits of managing coral resources through trade controls and fisheries management. In this study, several arguments related to this topic on northern Pacific precious corals are presented, in the following three dimensions: (1) a reconstructed historical landing series from official FAO data and information on the history of coral fishing have scientifically indicated that the substantial decline in landings in the late 1980s was caused by the abandonment of fishing grounds and a shift in the target species; (2) enhanced management plans, which incorporate effective monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) measures, have been implemented in the two main countries that fish precious coral; and (3) the influence of socioeconomic factors must be considered when assessing CITES listing applications. Recommendations for achieving sustainable coral resource conservation are also provided.     

Precious coral fisheries management in Taiwan—Past,present & future

Taiwan used to have the biggest precious coral fisheries industry in the world. However, due to changes in the fishery, including increased fishing restrictions and the replacement of obsolete vessels, the scale of the industry had been gradually reduced since 1979. Unfortunately, the initiative proved to be poorly managed and resulted in an increase in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) coral fishing. This forced the government to review and amend the precious coral fisheries management regulations, which had been in place for decades. The Taiwanese government introduced stringent monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) management methods, already used in deep water fisheries, as a precautionary approach. At the same time, an investigation and evaluation of existing resources was carried out. Together, these initiatives were introduced in order to encourage the domestic industry to adopt the concept of ecosystem-based fishery management.     

Management of the precious coral fishery in Taiwan: Progress and perspectives

Precious corals have been commercially exploited because of their legendary and cultural importance for many centuries in the Mediterranean and for almost one century in the Northwest Pacific. Although the precious coral fishery in Taiwan dates back to the 1920s, relevant studies on biology and ecology of resources are relatively scarce. The management of the precious coral fishery in Taiwan was officially instituted in January 2009, when data on the catch and effort of the fishery were recorded. In this study, the catch-effort data of the fishery were examined to explore the temporal and spatial patterns in composition and abundance of Corallium and Paracorallium spp. around Taiwan. A total landing of 3233.0 and 2906.8 kg precious corals were recorded for 2009 and 2010, respectively. Less than 5% of those amounts were from live colonies. A high proportion of fossilized colonies in the catch reflect the non-selective nature of the fishing gear; however, the factors that cause colonies to collapse are not exclusive to the impact of the fishery. Momo coral was dominant in the production for both years, followed by Miss coral. The total production of precious corals correlated positively with fishing efforts, while a weak relationship was found between the production of live colonies and fishing efforts. The fishing efforts mainly aggregated in designated fishing ground A (DFG-A) for both years, while the production of live colonies mainly occurred in DFG-E. The monthly occurrence rate of live colonies decreased over the past 2 years. Although fluctuating significantly, the CPUE of dominant species exhibited an apparent decreasing pattern. High aggregation of the fishing efforts in specific regions and low numbers of live colonies in the production should be carefully taken into account when amending management regulations in the future. The establishment of marine protected areas, in addition to the strict controls that already apply, should be considered to not only sustain the population structure of the sessile animals but also their function in the marine ecosystem.     

Deep‐water Corallium rubrum (L., 1758) from the Mediterranean Sea: preliminary genetic characterisation

The precious red coral Corallium rubrum (L., 1758) lives in the Mediterranean Sea and adjacent Eastern Atlantic Ocean on subtidal hard substrates. Corallium rubrum is a long‐lived gorgonian coral that has been commercially harvested since ancient times for its red axial calcitic skeleton and which, at present, is thought to be in decline because of overexploitation. The depth distribution of C. rubrum is known to range from c. 15 to 300 m. Recently, live red coral colonies have been observed in the Strait of Sicily at depths of c. 600–800 m. This record sheds new light on the ecology, biology, biogeography and dispersal mechanism of this species and calls for an evaluation of the genetic divergence occurring among highly fragmented populations. A genetic characterization of the deep‐sea red coral colonies has been done to investigate biological processes affecting dispersal and population resilience, as well as to define the level of isolation/differentiation between shallow‐ and deep‐water populations of the Mediterranean Sea. Deep‐water C. rubrum colonies were collected at two sites (south of Malta and off Linosa Island) during the cruise MARCOS of the R/V Urania. Collected colonies were genotyped using a set of molecular markers differing in their level of polymorphism. Microsatellites have been confirmed to be useful markers for individual genotyping of C. rubrum colonies. ITS‐1 and mtMSH sequences of deep‐water red coral colonies were found to be different from those found in shallow water colonies, suggesting the possible occurrence of genetic isolation among shallow‐ and deep‐water populations. These findings suggest that genetic diversity of red coral over its actual range of depth distribution is shaped by complex interactions among geological, historical, biological and ecological processes.     

中国珊瑚礁资源状况及其药用研究调查 Ⅱ.资源衰退状况、保护与管理

对中国珊瑚礁资源衰退状况和原因进行了调查和分析.结果表明,中国南海珊瑚礁资源衰退状况严重,珊瑚礁破坏率高达 90%以上,其中,占全国珊瑚礁总面积98%的海南,80%～95%的珊瑚礁受到破坏.除自然因素外,对珊瑚礁资源的不当的、过度的开发利用,社会经济发展带来的海洋环境污染等人为因素,是珊瑚礁资源衰退的主要原因.建立南中国海珊瑚礁生态系统保护与管理国际合作机制,正确评估珊瑚礁的生态功能与价值,建立珊瑚礁自然保护区及监测网络系统,是中国珊瑚礁资源保护性开发利用的可行对策.     

Resource Management of Precious Corals:

Abstract. Precious corals as a group consist of a variety of species which belong to several classes of Anthozoan corals. In general, all are long lived, slow growing and are characterized by slow rates of annual recruitment and adult mortality. In favorable environments, where large beds of commercial quantity exist, their life history parameters often approximate steady state. In such instances, fishery management models in which the assumption of steady state is explicit, can be applied to their management. In this paper, the history and ecology of precious corals are reviewed in light of modern attempts of resource management using fishery models. In Hawaii, the BEVERTON and HOLT model has been adapted for the management of black, pink and gold coral species. The application of this model as it applies to precious corals is described and an example is given illustrating that it can also be used for shallow water reef building corals which form discrete colonies.     

南海珊瑚岛礁遥感分类体系和解译标志

南海珊瑚岛礁远离大陆且面积较小,高分辨率遥感技术已成为大范围进行珊瑚岛礁监测的重要手段,而建立适用的遥感分类体系和解译标志是进行珊瑚岛礁遥感监测的基础.本文综合考虑珊瑚岛礁的形成机制、珊瑚礁形态和高分辨率遥感影像上珊瑚岛礁图斑的可解译程度等因素,制定应用于珊瑚岛礁高分遥感监测的分类体系,将珊瑚岛礁分为珊瑚岛、沙洲、干出...     

1985–2019年南海诸岛珊瑚礁区热压力时空变化研究分析

全球气候变暖引起的热压力增大是南海诸岛珊瑚礁面临的最主要威胁,基于热压力对珊瑚礁白化的评估有利于对其保护和管理。周热度（Degree Heating Week, DHW）可以衡量热压力的强度和持续时间,代表过去连续12周珊瑚礁区海表温度（SST）正异常的累积。本文基于美国国家海洋和大气管理珊瑚礁监测计划（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Coral Reef Watch, NOAACRW）海表温度数据集,逐像元对35个年最大周热度数值进行K-means聚类分析,将南海诸岛珊瑚礁区分为6个区域：南沙–1、南沙–2、南沙–3、东沙、西沙和中沙珊瑚礁区。分析南海诸岛珊瑚礁区1985–2019年热压力时空变化及其与El Ni?o的相关关系。结果表明：（1）南海诸岛珊瑚礁区最大DHW为0～12.9℃-周,纬度上由高到低呈现减小变化规律。（2）线性拟合法分析1985–2019年的年最大DHW,显示南海诸岛珊瑚礁区热压力强度呈现上升趋势,为0.013～0.174℃-周/a,南海诸岛珊瑚礁区最大DHW出现在1998年、2010年、2014年...     

Enhancing fish stocks with wave-powered artificial upwelling

Ocean fisheries are declining worldwide due to overexploitation. Productivity could be enhanced and the problem alleviated by pumping nutrient-rich deep ocean water (DOW) to the surface to feed phytoplankton, the bottom end of a marine food chain, mimicking natural upwelling which sustains the most productive ocean fishing grounds in the world. Various pump types and power sources have been proposed for this purpose. The present article proposes a simple wave-powered pump to demonstrate the concept cost-effectively at prototype scale. Possible solutions to the problems of dilution and plunging of dense, nutrient-rich DOW are discussed. Two further possible benefits of this proposal are discussed: by extracting wave energy, relatively calm fishing grounds may be created close to markets, and by pumping up very large quantities of cold DOW, the surface temperature could be lowered enough to reduce coral bleaching on parts of the Great Barrier Reef.     

基于深度学习的西沙永乐群岛珊瑚礁遥感信息提取

珊瑚礁是海洋生态系统的重要组成部分,对保护海洋生物多样性以及维持海洋生态平衡具有重大意义。我国南海珊瑚岛礁自然资源丰富,准确、高效地提取珊瑚岛礁信息对南海岛礁监测、管理、规划与保护具有现实意义。本研究基于我国海洋一号C卫星（HY 1C）遥感数据,对西沙永乐群岛珊瑚礁信息进行了研究与分析,提出基于HY 1C遥感数据的珊瑚礁地貌分类体系。采用全卷积神经网络U Net模型,依次通过下采样、上采样操作提取西沙永乐环礁地貌特征,实现原始影像的像素级语义分割。结果表明：基于HY 1C数据建立的地貌分类体系对活珊瑚覆盖及珊瑚生长发育条件具有指示作用,提出的基于U Net模型的珊瑚岛礁地貌信息自动提取方法,能够为我国南海珊瑚岛礁生态系统的全自动、大范围监测和评价提供相应理论基础,在珊瑚礁生态管理与评价中发挥关键作用。精度验证结果表明：U Net模型可以有效提取珊瑚礁地貌信息,采用的地貌信息提取方法具备时空泛化能力,泛化精度高于80%。     

全球变化背景下暖水珊瑚礁生态系统的适应性与修复研究

暖水珊瑚礁生态系统是热带海域最具生物多样性和代表性的生态系统之一。本研究分析了全球变化背景下暖水珊瑚礁生态系统的变化和风险,开展了受损暖水珊瑚礁生态系统退化和消失的致灾因子归因分析,综述了暖水珊瑚礁生态系统的适应性与修复技术研究。分析表明:①过去几十年来,暖水珊瑚礁生态系统快速退化,包括大面积白化和死亡、多样性明显减少和生态功能显著衰退,主要归因于海洋升温与人类活动等致灾因子的影响;②在温室气体高排放浓度情景下(RCP 8.5),相比工业革命前,到本世纪中叶,南海升温将可能远超过2℃,这表明南海暖水珊瑚礁生态系统正在逼近其气候临界点,即全球升温高于2℃时,90%~99%以上的暖水珊瑚将消失;③1980年代以来,海洋升温、海洋热浪和强热带气旋等海洋气候变化致灾因子对南海暖水珊瑚的危害性(影响的强度、范围和时间)明显增加,对暖水珊瑚礁生态系统产生了严重的影响;与此同时,近岸海域的过度或破坏性捕捞、采挖和潜水等人类活动,对暖水珊瑚造成了严重损害,增加了暖水珊瑚的气候脆弱性,而这种人类活动既是局部的,也是全球性的现象,使得暖水珊瑚更难以适应全球变暖的影响。分析还表明,为了增强暖水珊瑚适应气候与环境变化的恢复力(韧性),人们开展了诸多受损珊瑚礁生态系统的适应性与修复研究,但主要是采用无性繁殖或结合人工基质的修复方式,而应用有性繁殖技术恢复受损珊瑚礁的方式仍较少;最近,暖水珊瑚耐热的基因适应性研究取得了重要进展,为暖水珊瑚适应全球变暖提供了一种新的途径。本研究最后探讨了中国受损珊瑚礁生态系统的修复问题与对策。     

Long‐term comparison of structure and dynamics of the red coral metapopulation of the Portofino Promontory (Ligurian Sea): a case‐study for a Marine Protected Area in the Mediterranean Sea

A large amount of data on the precious coral Corallium rubrum has attested to a dramatic shift in the size structure of its over‐harvested Mediterranean populations in recent decades. One of the main problems for the conservation of this species is the substantial lack of data concerning the time span necessary for a population subjected to pluri‐decennial harvesting pressure to return to its pristine status. Here, we present a multi‐annual data set gathered from the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of Portofino, which hosts the most important shallow‐water coral populations in the Ligurian Sea and was subjected to strong harvesting pressure from the 1950s to the early 1970s. Quantitative comparison of the population structure data recorded in 1964, 1990 and 2012 indicated a strong size increase of the colonies (from 3 to 8 g mean weight), resulting in an increase in colony biomass from 300 to the current 1500 g·m^?2. As a consequence, over the same span of time, the density of colonies has slightly decreased. The role of mass mortality phenomena, like that occurred in this area during 1999, as possible biological features triggering the switch of red coral populations from a ‘grass plain‐like’ towards a ‘forest‐like’ structure, is discussed. All these data indicate that the instigation of MPAs is a winning strategy in the conservation of this precious species and similar management plans should also be evaluated for the protection of the deep benthic communities thriving on off‐shore banks.     

Quantifying the largest aggregation of giant trevally Caranx ignobilis (Carangidae) on record: implications for management

The giant trevally Caranx ignobilis (Forsskål) is an important apex predatory fish typically associated with coral reef communities. It is prized in recreational and commercial fisheries, yet little is known about its aggregation dynamics and susceptibility to fishing pressure. This study reports on a previously undocumented aggregation of mature giant trevally observed over a period of eight years (2010–2017) at Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve in southern Mozambique. The aggregation is one of the few recorded for this carangid in the western Indian Ocean and represents the first subtropical aggregation of giant trevally. The aggregation is also the largest recorded for this species, with up to 2 413 individuals representing an estimated biomass of approximately 30 tonnes. The size and predictability of this annual aggregation make it vulnerable to overexploitation and point towards the need for an appropriate conservation management strategy.     

我国热带生物海岸的现状及生态系统的修复与重建

评述了以红树林和珊瑚礁为代表的我国热带生物海岸的分布及其面积、生物群落的破坏、海岸保护与管理、科学研究等各个方面的现状，以及生态系统修复与重建技术研究进展，指出热带生物海岸及其上的红树林、珊瑚礁热带海岸生态系统具有特殊的资源价值和生态效益，对热带海岸社会经济可持续发展的十分重要；另一方面对日益频繁的人类开发活动和自然环境变异十分敏感和脆弱，而且其直接经济价值相对较低而通常易于被忽视，随着我国自然环境变异十分敏感和脆弱，而且其直接经济价值相对较低而通常易于被忽视，随着我国社会经济近20年来的快速发展，导致热带海岸地区人口、资源、环境压力加剧，热带生物海岸红树林和珊瑚礁资源已经受到生态破坏性开发活动的极大破坏而急需保护。尽管政府采取了保护管理的各种措施，包括相关法律、自然保护区、科学研究、生态系统修复与重建的实验、研究和推广，但是总体上衰退的趋势尚未扭转，热带生物海岸在我国河口海岸生态环境变异和资源可持续利用研究中具有特别重要要的意义，应该加强我国热带生物海岸的调查、监测、评估、研究，以适应热带生物海岸和相关生态系统的保护、管理、恢复、重建和可持续发展的紧迫要求。     

国际珊瑚礁领域研究现状及知识图谱分析

采用文献计量和科学知识图谱的方法,对1902—2017年期间国际珊瑚礁研究领域的科技论文进行了分析。结果表明,与西方海洋研究领域先进国家相比,我国在珊瑚礁研究领域起步较晚,但近5年发展迅速,并在论文影响力、国际合作和研究技术发展方面有待加强。针对研究结果提出了我国珊瑚礁研究的发展建议,本研究将为了解当前国际珊瑚礁领域的研究现状和发展态势以及我国今后珊瑚礁保护方面的政策制定、项目规划和科学研究提供情报参考。     

A study of coral reef resilience and implications of adaptive management and rehabilitation in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam

The Province of Khanh Hoa, Vietnam, is located in the western South China Sea and boasts a shoreline of 385 km and many islands. Previous studies have indicated the extreme diversity and abundance of coral reefs in its waters as compared with other coastal provinces of Vietnam. A study on the resilience of coral reefs against increased surface water temperature and anthropogenic impact is conducted at 19 reef sites in 2015. At each site, a series of parameters (e.g., coral covers, genus diversity, and coral recruitment, substratum heterogeneity, depth, water exchange level, and sediment deposit and water temperature) are measured quantitatively or semi-quantitatively. The measured data are rated based on the relationship between the parameter values and coral susceptibility; the consideration that reef health reflects the biological capability to adapt to environmental changes and the recruitment potential if bleached; and positive or negative influences of physical factors in the mitigation of thermal stress and protecting corals from bleaching. A cumulative analysis enables researchers to divide the studied reefs into four categories based on varying levels of reef health to support resilience, recovery, and vulnerability in the case of increased water temperature. Relevant management interventions for each category and other supporting activities are suggested to enhance management effectiveness and to plan the rehabilitation of coral reefs for biodiversity conservation and touristic development, taking into account the involvement of related stakeholders.     

Flexible management of fishing rights and a sustainable fisheries industry in Europe

Although overexploitation of commercial fish stocks in European waters has been in the public debate now for more than 20 years, the European Union has so far failed to implement sustainable fisheries management. Millions in subsidies paid to the fishing industry have led to significant excess capacity in the fishing fleet. Various feeble attempts to stop overexploitation of marine resources have failed. The cause is that fishing policy is highly dominated by short-term socioeconomic interests. There is an urgent need for a new fisheries management system in Europe that supports reductions in the fishing fleet, increases responsibility among fishers and guarantees long-term conservation of natural marine resources.Transferable rights to fish have proved a reliable and effective means of creating incentives to conserve marine resources. By strengthening individual fishing rights under flexible quota management systems, the EU Member States could, within the Common Fisheries Policy, make a significant contribution to conserving fish stocks, to reducing excess capacity and to raising the profitability of the fisheries industry. A closer look at existing reservations against a flexible management system shows most of the objections to be overstated or capable of resolution.     

Valuing recreational and conservation benefits of coral reefs—The case of Bolinao,Philippines

The recognition of recreational and conservation benefits of coral reefs globally provides a sound economic rationale for their management. The value of recreational and conservation benefits of coral reefs along the Lingayen Gulf, Bolinao, Philippines is evaluated using travel cost and contingent valuation methods, respectively. Empirical results generated consumer surplus valued at PhP10,463 (US$223) per person per annum or potential net annual revenues to the local economy worth PhP220.2 million (US$4.7 million) from an estimated 21,042 visitors to Bolinao in 2000. However, willingness to pay (WTP) values (in absolute terms and as a percentage of income) for the conservation of coral reefs at Bolinao that were elicited are low, particularly among domestic tourists. This implies that preservation of natural resources and the environment may not be an immediate priority among local travelers due to socio-economic considerations in developing countries, such as the Philippines and the public goods nature of the recreational services provided by coral reefs. These results have further implications for determining the values of coral reefs to support public investment for their conservation and management. The roles of advocacy, education, and awareness campaigns have been highlighted to create a larger WTP for the management of coral reefs.     

ISO 9001质量管理体系在珊瑚礁调查中的应用探讨

ISO 9001质量管理体系是先进的管理模式,已在各行各业得到广泛的应用。珊瑚礁调查具有学科交叉较大、调查过程繁琐和数据成果庞杂等特点,文章基于ISO 9001质量管理体系,探讨珊瑚礁调查质量管理体系、质量管理措施、控制流程和纠正措施等具体内容,并提出注重培训、全员参与、记录归档和持续改进的管理建议,在国内首次提出将ISO 9001质量管理理念运用到珊瑚礁调查中,以期为推动我国珊瑚礁调查质量管理制度化、规范化和程序化提供有效途径。