Final Report " Spatial Assessment, Sex-specific Habitat Use and Vulnerability of Spawning Populations of Squaretail Coralgrouper, Plectropomus Areolatus, in Pohnpei, Fsm "

The aim of the current study was to determine for adult squaretail coralgrouper (Plectropomus areolatus) spatial requirements for effective and biologically meaningful marine protected area (MPA) design, based on reproductive and non-reproductive habitat use. To determine movement relative to spawning sites and identify non-reproductive home range areas, P. areolatus were re-located or tracked following acoustic tagging at a fish spawning aggregation (FSA) site within a small-scale MPA. Active tracking over 75 days showed variability in both the distance and timing of movement from FSA sites following spawning. Tagged P. areolatus used highly confined non-reproductive home range habitats, with individuals attached to specific coral reef areas outside and inside the barrier reef. No sex-specific variations in distance of movement or home range habitat were apparent. Six of the seven individuals that were re-located were found within 2-8 km of the FSA. Results support previous findings of small catchment areas for reproductive populations of P. areolatus relative to FSA sites and suggest that FSA loss could negatively impact local fish and fishing communities. To adequately protect adult populations of P. areolatus, large-scale, biologically meaningful MPAs are needed that include both reproductive and non-reproductive habitats.