Epinephelus bleekeri | UAE National Red List of Marine Species: Reef-building corals, cartilaginous fishes and select bony fishes
Taxa
Epinephelus bleekeri | (Vaillant, 1878)
Publication
Asessment status in full
Vulnerable
Assessment status abreviation
VU
Assessment status criteria
A2bcd
Assessment rationale/justification
This reef-associated species occurs throughout UAE waters. It is exploited by grouper fisheries, and is common in local markets in the Arabian Gulf, but apparently less common in UAE markets in general. It appears likely that this species is overfished in the UAE, based on the status of Epinephelus coioides, which this species (E. bleekeri) continues to be confused with in fishery statistics. Anecdotal observations of its occurrence in fish markets over the past 10-29 years indicate that population declines have occurred since about 1995, or a 24-year time period. Catch of E. coioides has declined by about 51% in Abu Dhabi over the past 12 years (since 2007), or approximately one and a half generation lengths. Applying data from a proxy species, three generation lengths is about 24 years. The status of population(s) outside the UAE is not well-understood, though it is also taken by fisheries elsewhere, including in the Sea of Oman. Based on catch data and fish market observations, this species has undergone a suspected decline of at least 30% and possibly more since about 1995, or over the past three generation lengths. Fishing effort is expected to remain the same or increase in the future. Therefore, it is listed as Vulnerable A2bcd. Further action is needed to improve fishery monitoring and data collection. Research on life history parameters is needed to improve the estimate of generation length.
Assessment year
2019
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Threats listed in assessment
Overexploitation is a major threat to this species. Degradation of estuaries (juvenile habitat) has been severe in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf region due to coastal development and pollution. Corals in the UAE and Arabian Gulf have severely declined due to the increasing frequency of mass bleaching events caused by rising water temperatures, which is a consequence of climate change, as well as pervasive coastal development (Riegl et al. 2018, Burt et al. 2019).
Conservation Measures
Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:
Scientific Name | Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Epinephelus bleekeri | Animalia | Chordata | Actinopterygii | Perciformes | Epinephelidae | Epinephelus |