SPC Live Reef Fish Information Bulletin #10

Conservation of Banggai cardinalfish populations in Sulawesi, Indonesia:
An integrated research and education project

Kristin E. Lunn and Marie-Annick Moreau

Background

The Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni), endemic to the Banggai Islands of Sulawesi in Indonesia, is extensively traded in the international aquarium market. Its attractive appearance and unusual mouthbrooding behaviour have made it popular among aquarists. Despite its widespread appeal, very little is known about the ecology or conservation status of this species in the wild, or about the habitats in which it lives. The Banggai cardinalfish — with its relatively low fecundity, highly restricted geographic range, tendency to live in groups, and low reproductive rates — has been flagged as being especially unsuitable for high levels of exploitation. Yet the aquarium trade in this species, suspected to take large numbers of fish directly from the wild, is currently legal and unregulated by national and international laws. Quite apart from the direct threats it faces, the species is also subject to many indirect threats posed by coastal pollution, habitat degradation, and destructive fishing practices throughout the Banggai Islands.

Goals and objectives

With the help of Yayasan Pemerhati Lingkungan (YPL), a non-governmental organisation based in central Sulawesi, we undertook a three-part conservation project in the Banggai Islands in March and April 2001, aimed at improving the current state of knowledge of the Banggai cardinalfish trade and biology and at starting up a much-needed environmental education programme for the region. In particular, we sought to: 1) document the nature and scale of the aquarium trade in this species, 2) observe the movement patterns and habitat associations of these fish in the wild, and 3) develop a marine environmental education programme for local schools and community groups. Taken together, we hope that these initiatives will contribute to better management plans for the Banggai cardinalfish fishery and increase public awareness of the current plight of this species in the wild.

Overview of findings

Aquarium trade surveys

Fifty-eight interviews with fishers, government officials, and buyers in north and central Sulawesi has revealed a large and growing trade for Banggai cardinalfish, with an estimated minimum of 700,000 fish being bought in the Banggai region during the period 2000–2001. Travelling in small dugout boats, fishers use simple nets and little other gear to collect Banggai cardinalfish from coral reef and seagrass habitats. Since the early 1990s, buyers from north Sulawesi and Bali have collected and, in later years, bought Banggai cardinalfish from fishers and regional collectors residing in the region. By early 2001, the trade for this species had spread to all five major islands of the Banggai Archipelago and to several smaller islands in the area, covering a large part of the species’ known geographic range. From north Sulawesi, Banggai cardinalfish are shipped to Indonesian exporters in Bali, Jakarta and Surabaya, before entering the international market. Fishers and domestic buyers receive low prices for Banggai cardinalfish when compared with many other aquarium fishes. Nonetheless, the ease with which fishers can catch large numbers of fish using inexpensive gear in shallow water has led many fishers with few other economic options to participate in this emerging trade.

Movement pattern and habitat association study

Upon completing our trade surveys, we collected data on the movement patterns and habitat associations of Banggai cardinalfish in a small, protected bay on Banggai Island. Understanding the mobility and habitat requirements of this fish has important applications for the conservation of the species, particularly with regards to the design of marine protected areas (MPAs). Underwater visual censuses were conducted along six transects distributed throughout the bay and at three 10-m² study sites. Densities of Banggai cardinalfish on each transect ranged from 0.28 to 1.22 fish . m^-2, with a mean overall density of 0.63 ± 0.39 fish . m^-2 (n = 6). Group sizes varied from 2 to 33 individuals, with a mean group size of 12.4 ± 9.7 individuals (n = 18). Seventy-three per cent of Banggai cardinalfish individuals or groups observed on our transects were associated with Diadema sea urchins, 18 per cent were found with sea anemones, and 9 per cent with branching Acropora coral (n = 22). Sea anemones appeared to be particularly important to juvenile fish. The species displays some level of site fidelity, based on our observation of similar numbers of fish found within the same 10 m x 10 m area for at least seven days, from the time the study sites were established to the study’s end.

Marine environmental education

Together with YPL, we developed a one-hour environmental education session using materials that were donated by a variety of Indonesian and international conservation organisations. These sessions, which combined lectures, a food-web game, and class discussions, were conducted at four elementary schools in Luwuk and on Banggai Island. A staff member of YPL led all four sessions while we helped by putting up props and answering questions. The programme, targeting students aged 9–12, focused on the biodiversity of Indonesian seas, the current threats to their marine ecosystems, and possible conservation solutions. In addition to these sessions, we held a colouring contest for children in Tinakin Laut on Banggai Island, the fishing village we stayed in while carrying out our underwater study of Banggai cardinalfish.

Conclusions

Whether the aquarium trade exerts enough pressure on Banggai cardinalfish populations to threaten their continued persistence in the wild cannot be precisely determined from our initial trade surveys. Nevertheless, we support proactive management measures to safeguard wild Banggai cardinalfish populations given that: 1) the species’ biological characteristics make it especially vulnerable to exploitation; 2) the current annual trade for the international aquarium market involves hundreds of thousands of fish and appears to be expanding; and 3) local reef habitats are under increasing pressure from destructive fishing, among other factors. We propose that a number of steps be taken to ensure the long-term persistence of this species in the wild, including the institution of trade regulations and the development of community-based management initiatives for the Banggai region.

Acknowledgements

Financial support for this research project was provided by a Rufford Small Grant (Whitley Awards Foundation, UK), Chester Zoo (UK), Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA), Reef Conservation UK and PADI's Project AWARE. Environmental education materials were donated by The Nature Conservancy (Indonesia), Coral Cay Conservation (UK), Ocean Voice International, the Vancouver Aquarium (Canada) and Terangi (Indonesia).

If you are interested in more details about the project, or would like a copy of the full report, please contact either Kristin Lunn at kristin_lunn@hotmail.com or Marie-Annick Moreau at ma_moreau@hotmail.com. You can also reach us c/o Dr Heather Hall, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, UK, NW1 4RY.

See the FishBase page on the Banggai cardinalfish (back to text)

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