A. Species
Scientific name: Antipathes grandis
Common name(s): Black coral
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status:
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Hawaiian Is.
- Pacific - eastern central
Country/Region:
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: National Level
Name/Details of location: Hawaii
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 1981
End Year: 2005
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Targeted fishing harvesting/exploiting or collecting wild aquatic resources
Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Medicine and hygiene, Ceremony, religious, and ritual expression and Decorative and aesthetic
Motivation of use: Largescale commercial exploitation for trade
Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people and National / local private sector
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This NDF Case study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The management plan and quotas in place aim to maintain sustainability. Population studies conducted through 1975-1998, indicated a fairly stable population level, with steady recruitment and harvest pressure not exceeding the mean sustainable yield. However, from 1999 to 2005, the reported average annual catch more than doubled that for the previous 7-year period, likely due to increased consumer demand and improved fishing techniques. These surveys suggest that the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) should be adjusted downward by approximately 25%.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This NDF Case study.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Provided that the black coral population remains sustainable, this fishery is worth c. US$33 million per year.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This NDF Case study.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Provided that the black coral population remains sustainable, around 1000 people are involved in the fishery, including coral divers, manufacturers and salespeople.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
In order to ensure that harvesting is sustainable, and it does not significantly limit recruitment, management strategies should include a determination of optimal harvest yields based on measures of abundance, growth, natural mortality and recruitment. Among the guidelines should be a scientifically-based minimum allowable size of harvest that provides sufficient time between age (size) at first reproduction and age (size) at first capture, and an annual, scientifically-based quota. New developments with invasive species and extraction technology (e.g., submersibles) must be monitored closely, and adjustments made as necessary.
Record source
Information about the record source: grey_lit
Date of publication/issue/production: 2008-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
By Andrew Bruckner, Patricia De Angelis, and Tony Montgomery.
NDF WORKSHOP CASE STUDIES
WG 9 – Aquatic Invertebrates
CASE STUDY 1
Corals
Country – HAWAII
Date of record entry: 2023-10-02