Recent seizures of illegally held wildlife indicate a mounting global trade in pangolins involving all eight species. Seizures of illegally traded African pangolins are increasing as wild populations of Asian species decline. We investigated trade in pangolins and law enforcement efforts in Gabon; a country likely to have intact wild populations of three of the four species of African pangolin. We compared village sales and trade chains between 2002‐2003 and 2014. Hunters reported pangolins to be the most frequently requested species in 2014, and the value of pangolins had increased at every point along their trade chain. In Libreville, giant pangolin prices increased 211% and arboreal pangolin prices 73% whilst inflation rose only 4.6% over the same period. We documented a low rate of interception of illegally traded pangolins despite increased law enforcement. Surveys of potential export routes detected exports across forest borders, in conjunction with ivory, but not through public transport routes. We conclude that whilst there is clear potential and likelihood that a wild pangolin export trade is emerging from Gabon, traditional bushmeat trade chains may not be the primary supply route. We recommend adjusting conservation policies and actions to impede further development of illegal trade within and from Gabon.
Growing interest in the Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula among anglers and fishery managers has inspired efforts to better manage populations. Successful management requires identifying population structure and understanding the distribution of stocks and associated differences in life history. This is particularly important in river systems along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, where transitions from freshwater rivers to saltwater bays provide the potential for life history diversification. We used otolith microchemistry and genetics to assess population structure of Alligator Gars in the Guadalupe River–San Antonio Bay system, Texas. Lifetime Sr:Ca revealed three, distinct life histories that differed in prevalence across the system. River‐resident fish (i.e., fish exclusive to freshwater) were present throughout the river but were most common in the uppermost river reach (74% of upper river fish). Transient fish that used both river and bay habitats were also found throughout the river but were most prevalent in the lowermost river reach (66% of lower river fish) and bay (91% of bay fish). Bay residents (i.e., fish exclusive to salt water) were detected but comprised only 9% of bay fish. Haplotype diversity based on mitochondrial DNA was lowest in the upper river, indicating limited gene flow compared with the lower river and bay. Similarly, nuclear DNA analyses indicated nonrandom mating between fish from the upper river, lower river, and bay. The differences in Alligator Gar movement and genetics along the river–bay continuum suggest the presence of a river resident stock that predominates the upper river, and a transient stock that predominates the lower river and bay. Therefore, a local‐scale management approach, consistent with the spatial partitioning between stocks, would conserve life history and genetic diversity within the system and provide opportunities to meet the needs of a diverse angling constituency. Understanding how population dynamics differ between stocks is needed to develop appropriate fishery management objectives and corresponding regulations for Alligator Gar. Received May 20, 2016; accepted December 2, 2016 Published online February 27, 2017
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