Food supply depends on seagrass meadows in the coral triangle

Unsworth, Richard K. F.; Hinder, Stephanie L.; Bodger, Owen; Cullen-Unsworth, Leanne C.

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/9/9/094005

Cited by 69 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…This was similar for other important food fishes. These included species of Emperor, Grouper, Snapper, Biddy, and Barracuda (de La Torre-Castro et al, 2014;Unsworth et al, 2014) that are regarded high-value food fish locally and in other areas of the Indo-Pacific (de La Torre-Castro et al, 2014;Unsworth et al, 2014). In addition to these concerns, we also revealed the presence of species listed as either near threatened (IUCN, 2016) or vulnerable to extinction (IUCN, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Conservation Concerns of Small-Scale Fisheries: By-Catch Impacts of a Shrimp and Finfish Fishery in a Sri Lankan Lagoon

et al. 2018

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By-catch is considered a significant problem in large-scale fisheries yet in small-scale fisheries (SSF), employing >99% of the world's fishers, there is limited quantitative understanding of by-catch, and catches in general. We provide an assessment of by-catch from fishing gears (fyke, trawl, set trammel, and drift trammel nets) commonly used in small-scale fisheries across the globe, using a representative Sri Lankan case study and placing this in the context of local resource use patterns. We reveal evidence of how SSF generate significant finfish by-catch with potentially significant ecological impacts. Fishers targeting shrimp (fyke, trawl, and drift trammel nets) caught more non-target species than global averages (44, 44, and 67% by weight, respectively). Fishers targeting finfish (set trammel nets) caught fewer non-target species. We found that by-catch depends more on target species and gear type, supporting suggestions that SSF are not "inherently more sustainable" than their large-scale counterparts and a collective effort is required for an improved understanding of the impacts of SSF. This study highlights an additional issue of valuable food fish discards, raising questions about fisheries exploitation in the context of food security in areas where poverty and food insecurity are prevalent.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Conservation Concerns of Small-Scale Fisheries: By-Catch Impacts of a Shrimp and Finfish Fishery in a Sri Lankan Lagoon

et al. 2018

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“…Leiognatus species preferred the coastal mangroves with muddy sand bottom which seemed to be the perfect foraging area [26 and 27]. On the other hand, some species, such as S. canaliculatus preferred seagrass [28]. Liza subviridis, T. quadrilineatus and A. interupta also preferred the seagrass which could be due the abundance of their prey [29 and 30].…”

Section: Fishes Caught In Setiu Lagoonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet Preferences of Small Fishes at Setiu Lagoon, Malaysia

Kassim¹,

Majid²,

Alwi³

et al. 2018

ESD

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Abstract. This study aimed to investigate diet preferences of small fishes in a shallow coastal lagoon through analysis of their stomach contents. The 24 hours samplings was done during high tide at selected stations; mangrove areas and seagrass areas, both located at coastal lagoon of Setiu, Terengganu (N 5 o 41.75' E 102 o 42' to N 5 o 42.5' E 102 o 41'). The small fishes were caught using seine nets (0.5 cm 2 ), while the zooplanktons were collected using Kitahara zooplankton net (110 microns) then were preserved. All items found in the stomach were compared with the composition of the zooplanktons obtained from the water samples. During the sampling time, 10 species of small fishes were caught. There were higher number of fishes and zooplanktons caught from the seagrass areas than the mangrove areas. Nonetheless, diversity of zooplankton was higher in the mangroves. Overall, the number of harpacticoid was higher than all other food items found in the stomach of fishes caught from both areas despite the high number of calanoid copepods found in the lagoon.

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“…As a result, we now know that seagrass meadows are great places for people to catch fish and collect other types of seafood. Research from across the Indo-Pacific region, including Indonesia and the Philippines, has demonstrated the important role of seagrass meadows in producing fish and edible invertebrates for food [3]. For example, at low tide, exposed seagrass meadows in the tropics provide people with an easy-to-reach hunting ground for small fish and edible invertebrates.…”

Section: Seagrass Biodiversity and Food Securitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Secret Gardens Under the Sea: What are Seagrass Meadows and Why are They Important?

Cullen-Unsworth¹,

Jones²,

Lilley³

et al. 2018

Front. Young Minds

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In nearly all the seas around the world, in the shallow waters next to the land, are secret underwater gardens. These gardens are home to a special marine (saltwater) plant called seagrass. When seagrass grows in large areas, the habitat it creates is called a seagrass meadow. Seagrass meadows play an important role in keeping our oceans healthy and providing a home for all kinds of marine life. This marine life includes fishes that people eat, such as cod and plaice but also endangered species such as seahorses, turtles, and sea cows. Seagrasses absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the surrounding seawater, and so help to reduce the speed of climate change. Seagrasses help protect our coastlines from storms and rising tides because their leaves take energy out of the waves hitting the coast, and their roots act as an anchor in the underwater sand. Seagrasses also soak up nutrients and bacteria, helping to keep our seawater clean. But seagrasses around the world are being lost at a rate of about two football fields every hour. Lots of things can damage seagrass, from polluted water

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Food supply depends on seagrass meadows in the coral triangle

Abstract: S Online supplementary data available from stacks.iop.org/ERL/9/094005/mmedia

Cited by 69 publications

References 39 publications

Conservation Concerns of Small-Scale Fisheries: By-Catch Impacts of a Shrimp and Finfish Fishery in a Sri Lankan Lagoon

Conservation Concerns of Small-Scale Fisheries: By-Catch Impacts of a Shrimp and Finfish Fishery in a Sri Lankan Lagoon

Diet Preferences of Small Fishes at Setiu Lagoon, Malaysia

Secret Gardens Under the Sea: What are Seagrass Meadows and Why are They Important?

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