Journal article
Restocking the sea cucumber Holothuria scabra: sizing no-take zones through individual-based movement modelling
Fisheries Research, Vol.80(1), pp.53-61
2006
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Abstract
<p>The valuable sea cucumber <em>Holothuria scabra</em>, known as ‘sandfish’, has potential for restocking. However, there is little information available to determine the size of the no-take zones (NTZs) needed to protect the released animals so that they can form nucleus breeding populations. To do this, we measured short-term movement paths of released juvenile (1–105 g) and wild adult (130–690 g) sandfish in a seagrass bed in New Caledonia. We then developed an individual-based model (IBM) to predict long-term dispersal of sandfish released as juveniles (1–16 g) at 1 individual m<sup>−2</sup> within a 1-ha area, drawing on distributions of speed and directionality and the relationship between speed and animal weight from field data. Movement was non-random at the sampling scale used, since animals tended to turn <90° at each 2-h time step. We examined high- and low-growth scenarios by applying 50% and 25% of the modelled growth rates of sandfish held in earthen ponds (where they are known to grow faster). The dispersal of released sandfish was predicted to be limited in the first 2 years, then markedly faster thereafter. After 10 years, 6–12% of surviving animals were predicted to remain in the original 1-ha release site. To protect surviving sandfish as nucleus breeding populations for 10 years, and accepting 10% spillover, square NTZs would need to be 19–40 ha. The findings are useful for the management of restocking and pre-defining the size of sites for recapture surveys. Our model allows user-specified values for future releases and should be applicable for other sedentary marine invertebrates where basic data on movement and growth are available.</p>
Details
- Title
- Restocking the sea cucumber Holothuria scabra: sizing no-take zones through individual-based movement modelling
- Creators
- Steven W Purcell - The WorldFish Center, New CaledoniaDavid S Kirby - Marine Resources Division, New Caledonia
- Publication Details
- Fisheries Research, Vol.80(1), pp.53-61
- Identifiers
- 2538; 991012821149502368
- Academic Unit
- School of Environment, Science and Engineering; Marine Ecology Research Centre; Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Resource Type
- Journal article