humphead wrasse(Napoleon Wrasse)

HUMPHEAD WRASSE  -STATUS- ENDANGERED

The humphead wrasse is an enormous coral reef fish—growing over six feet long—with a prominent bulge on its forehead. Some of them live to be over 30 years old. 

Major Threat(s): Threats include:

1) Intensive and species-specific removal for the live reef food fish export trade of a naturally uncommon and vulnerable species;

2) Readily accessible to spearfishing at night with SCUBA or hookah (i.e., compressed air) gear, and easy to catch with cyanide, or other poisons such as Derris trifoliata, due to predictable adult habitat and shallow depth range;

3) Lack of coordinated, consistent national and regional management largely due to limited management capacity and the sometime secretive nature of traders – in particular there is no relevant regional fishery management authority to address problems with this species;

4) Selective fishing, in particular the intensive take of juveniles for direct export sale and for grow-out (also referred to as ‘culture’ – the species cannot be hatchery reared; and

5) Illegal, unregulated, or unreported (IUU) fisheries (Donaldson and Sadovy 2001).