Javier Cuetos-Bueno; Amanda K. Merrit

Micronesian Fish Species Fact Sheets: A Tool for Sustainable Fisheries Management

2023

78

"Many Micronesian communities and governments are now looking for ways to integrate better fisheries management approaches into policy, planning, and spatial management design. While foundational science and stock assessments have become more prevalent across the region, tools to help translate those into actual management still need to be improved. These species fact sheets aim to fill this management need and provide much-needed guidance for managers and practitioners who work with communities to support fisheries management. They represent 30 finfish species that are prevalent/important across Micronesia, and were developed with fisheries practitioners in mind and share critical biological and ecological information about the species and evidence-based management guidance in an easy-to-understand format. In addition, sections to discuss and capture local knowledge that is extremely important to validate scientific information and/or fill prevalent gaps are included. The 30 species were selected based on their prevalence in documented landings from across the region (species that made at least 3 percent of landings on at least one island), their importance for subsistence fishing/food security, their cultural value, and their status (species highly compromised). Each of the 30 species fact sheets shares the same structure."

reef fish, Micronesia, finfish, fisheries, fisheries management, fact sheets

NMFS

PIRO

FY2023 CRCP Project ID 427; Project Title: Pacific Islands Managed and Protected Area Community and Micronesia Region Implementation Activities; Principal Investigator: Kristine Bucchianeri

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program