Taxon name
Seriola dumerili
(Risso, 1810)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Seriola dumerili
(Risso, 1810)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Fishes
Species authority
(Risso, 1810)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
This species is commonly misidentified as Seriola rivoliana and S. carpenteri, making market data unreliable (W. Smith-Vaniz pers. comm. 2013).
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
United Arab Emirates (the)
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Data deficient
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This pelagic species occurs throughout UAE waters. It is a minor component of handline and trap fisheries off Abu Dhabi, but is considered valuable and highly desirable by commercial and recreational fishers. Catch in Abu Dhabi declined by about 80-90% over the past two generation lengths (about 12 years), but there is uncertainty associated with the effort trends, and catch in the recreational fishery are not recorded. Anecdotal observations of its presence in fish markets indicate it has declined on the eastern coast of the UAE. The status of population(s) outside the UAE is not well-understood, though it is also taken by fisheries elsewhere. Based on the uncertainty regarding the population trend of this exploited species, it is listed as Data Deficient in UAE waters until updated data become available. Improvements in fisheries monitoring are needed.
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
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.
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
This species occurs throughout UAE waters. Elsewhere, it is circumglobally distributed except for the eastern Pacific (Smith-Vaniz 1984, Smith-Vaniz 2002).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This epibenthic and pelagic species occurs over reefs or at deep offshore holes or drop-offs, usually in small or moderate-sized schools, but may be solitary (Smith-Vaniz 2002). It is also found over rocky outcrops and wrecks (Harris et al. 2007). Juveniles associate with Sargassum or flotsam in oceanic and offshore neritic waters (Bortone et al. 1977). Prey items include fish, invertebrates and sometimes live, dead, and artificial bait. Its maximum size is 188 cm total length, but common to about 70-110 cm fork length (Smith-Vaniz 2002). The fork length at 50% maturity is 64.6 cm for males and 73.3 cm for females. Several studies have estimated the maximum age using methods of varying accuracy, and in general, this fish is considered difficult to age (SEDAR9 2011). Estimates of maximum longevity range from 10-17 years, but an age of 15 years was used for this assessment as described in SEDAR33 (2014). This species is assumed to be fully mature by age two (SEDAR33 2014). The Hoenig maximum age natural mortality estimator recommended by the SEDAR33 (2014) is 0.28 year<sup>-1</sup>; however, it is unlikely that this parameter remains constant across all sizes and ages.The generation length was estimated to be 6 years using the equation 1/natural mortality + age of first reproduction. Using the equation age of first reproduction + [z * (length of the reproductive period)] where z = 0.5, generation length was estimated at 7 years. Therefore, the median of 6.5 years is applied.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Exploitation is a potential major threat to this species in the UAE. 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).
Publication
Ralph, G.M., Stump, E., Linardich, C., Bullock, R.W., Carpenter, K.E., Allen D.J., Hilton-Taylor, C., Al Mheiri, R., and Alshamsi, O. 2021. UAE National Red List of Marine Species: Reef-building corals, cartilaginous fishes and select bony fishes. 2021. Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
