Monitoring of the status of eleven bony and cartilaginous fish populations in the Malpelo Sanctuary of Fauna and Flora, Colombian Pacific

Abstract

To determine trends over time in the relative abundance of species prioritized in the Malpelo Fauna and Flroa Sanctuary Management Plan, underwater visual censuses were done from April 2009 to August 2019. Data were collected for five species of bonefish: bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus), longfin yellowtail (Seriola rivoliana), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), leather bass (Dermatolepis dermatolepis) and sailfin grouper (Mycteroperca olfax), and six cartilaginous fish: spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus laticeps), silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), Galapagos shark (Carcharhinus galapagensis), whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus), whale shark (Rhincodon typus) and scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini). A negative non-significant trend in abundance through time was observed for most of the evaluated species, except A. laticeps and T. obesus, which showed positive non-significant trends. The hammerhead shark (S. lewini) was the only species that showed a statistically significant decrease in abundance over time. The results of this study highlight the urgent need to establish more effective fisheries management and regulation measures that promote the conservation of important fish species, not just inside the sanctuary but also within the Tropical Eastern Pacific.