1) Intensive and species-specific removal for the live reef food fish export trade of a naturally uncommon and vulnerable species;
2) Readily accessible to spearfishing at night with SCUBA or hookah (i.e., compressed air) gear, and easy to catch with cyanide, or other poisons such as Derris trifoliata, due to predictable adult habitat and shallow depth range;
3) Lack of coordinated, consistent national and regional management largely due to limited management capacity and the sometime secretive nature of traders – in particular there is no relevant regional fishery management authority to address problems with this species;
4) Selective fishing, in particular the intensive take of juveniles for direct export sale and for grow-out (also referred to as ‘culture’ – the species cannot be hatchery reared; and
5) Illegal, unregulated, or unreported (IUU) fisheries (Donaldson and Sadovy 2001).
Name
Emma Hemmerlé
Scientific Name
Cheilinus undulatus
Common Name(s)
Napoleon Fish
humphead wrasse
Napoleon Wrasse
Maori Wrasse
Type of Use
Extractive (i.e., the entire organism or parts of the organism are removed from its environment)
If extractive, for the target species, is this use
Law/decree/regulations for Napoleon fish exist as well as a policy framework for management of harvest and export regulations. However, these are not yet sufficiently implemented to be effective
Provide Details of resource rights regime where relevant
Illegal (unpermitted and illegal size) exports by sea and air continue as determined by seizures in Hong Kong of shipments without permits and fish of illegal size according to Indonesian regulation. Illegal movement of fish, including some of illegal size, also occur within Indonesia, as determined by seizures and personal observations of ille- gal sized fishes in trade within the country.
Local people (e.g., individuals, communities, co-operatives)
National / local private sector
International private sector
If more than one box ticked, please provide more details
Wild-caught live animals destined for high-value luxury food in restaurants in export trade is the major use; Major destination is Hong Kong (much of which is transhipped to Mainland China). Also destinations in Singapore (much of which goes through to Hong Kong) and Taiwan.
Is the use part of a strategy to generate conservation incentives, to finance conservation, or to improve tolerance/stewardship?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting the conservation status of the species? HIDE
Yes – use is negatively affecting the status (e.g., population is declining; extraction effort is increasing)
Is there evidence that the use is affecting natural selection?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting poaching of illegal wildlife trade?
Unknown/not reported
Is there any evidence that this use of the species is having a knock-on effect on the status of non-target species
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
Has a valuation of financial flows from this use at the site/national/international level been recorded
Sadovy, Y. and Suharti, S. (n.d.) NDF Workshop Case Studies
WG 8 – Fishes: Napoleon Fish, Cheilinus Undulatus, Indonesia.
It is recommended that minimum size limits be added to the export quota to help strengthen existing legislation in Indonesia and to ensure maintenance of spawning biomass; a large proportion of exported fish are in their pre-reproductive phase.
Threats/pressures impacting the species at the scale of this record