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A sustainable marine and fisheries management plan for the Pitcairn Islands Terence P. 1 Dawson , Robert 2 Irving & Heather 3 Koldewey 1. School of the Environment, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN, UK. 2. Sea-Scope Marine Environmental Consultants, Dulverton, Somerset TA22 9PW, UK. 3. Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK. Abstract The UK and Pitcairn Governments, supported by the Pitcairn Island Council, intend to develop a more sustainable livelihoods and economic growth strategy for the Islands. Whilst tourism and fisheries currently represent the primary mainstays of the local economy, drawing upon the natural wealth and cultural heritage of the Islands, to date these have not been fully realised. Further, given their extremely isolated location and difficulties of access, the Pitcairn Islands’ marine habitats are one of the UKOTs least known ecosystems. Considering these challenges, the UK Darwin Initiative has funded a project to develop local capacity for adaptive fisheries management and to enhance tourism opportunities through cruise ships visits and on-island facilities. A recent development within the project is to support the establishment of a Marine Protected Area, and to provide the underpinning management protocols and scientific evidencebase to ensure a sustainable future for Pitcairn’s marine resources. Pitcairn Island Project Rationale Given their extremely isolated location and difficulties of access, the Pitcairn Islands’ marine habitats are one of the UKOTs least known ecosystems. Currently, the scientific evidence for fisheries management of Pitcairn’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) remains insufficient for responsible decision-making to ensure sustainable extraction (Irving and Dawson, 2012). Global fishing pressures on migratory species, especially tuna and billfish, have resulted in commercial fishing fleets increasingly pressuring the Pitcairn Government to lease their fishing rights. Further, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has proposed that the Pitcairn community develop commercial reef fisheries for export to neighbouring Mangareva (Gambier Islands, French Polynesia). The environmental and economic sustainability of such proposals are unknown. Crucially, the small local community relies on fishing for food, and together with tourism, providing income support. Ducie The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the 4 Pitcairn Islands span a vast area of ocean of about 836,000 km2, more than three times the size of the UK. Considering these challenges with socio-political and economic pressures, our project is undertaking a number of activities designed to facilitate informed decision-making by the Pitcairn Government for sustainable marine resource use by: (1) underpinning the scientific evidence-base; (2) developing local capacity for fisheries and environmental assessments; (3) establishing a marine management plan with the Pitcairn community and UK Government for fisheries and the proposed marine reserve; (4) enhancing tourism opportunities; and (5) increasing awareness of Pitcairn’s importance in meeting the UK’s biodiversity targets. (1) Underpinning the scientific evidence-base Level 4-5 : Apex predators Level 3-4 : Carnivores Level 2 : Herbivores Following on from earlier diving surveys and a desk study (Irving and Dawson, 2012), Baited Remote Underwater Videography (BRUV) surveys were conducted around Pitcairn Island from May to August 2014 to assess the impact of fishing in order to develop a sustainable fishery plan. A total of 42 BRUV deployments were carried out and 88 fish species were identified. Henderson The extent of the Pitcairn Islands Exclusive Economic Zone Oeno (2) Developing local capacity for fisheries management Working with the Pitcairn fishing community and other stakeholders, the project is helping to establish a “Pitcairn Islands Inshore Fishing and Conservation Association” to enable the local community to manage their marine resources through the establishment of a fish catch monitoring program and the setting of local regulations and by-laws. Activities include training on monitoring methods and sustainable fishing practices. Trophic pyramid showing the structure of the fish assemblage sampled by BRUV. These results suggests that apex predators (sharks) and large carnivores (groupers, snappers) have a low abundance compared to nearby Polynesian islands and the uninhabited islands of Ducie and Henderson, possibly due to fishing pressure. (3) Establishing a marine management plan with the Pitcairn community and UK Government for fisheries and the proposed marine reserve On 18th March 2015, the UK Government announced “The government intends to proceed with the designation of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) around Pitcairn” (Dawson, 2015). The project is working with the UK and Pitcairn Governments, the Pew Charitable Trust , the Marine Reserve Coalition (MRC) and the Pitcairn Island Council to support the establishment of the MPA of the whole Pitcairn Islands EEZ, which would make it the largest in the world. Activities include the revision of the Pitcairn Fisheries Ordinance and Laws. Major challenges for the effective conservation of the MPA will be the surveillance and policing of illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing activities from long-line fleets of distant water fishing nations. A combination of satellite monitoring technology, supported by a rapid-response patrol vessel, which can access all the islands, is under investigation. ‘Berried’ female lobster with her eggs. She has been marked with a ‘v-notch’ in the tail fin before release. A panorama of the Fisheries training workshop held in September 2011. (4) Enhancing tourism opportunities The announcement of the world’s largest marine reserve around the Pitcairn Islands enhances the islands’ image to potential visitors. It provides an opportunity for increased awareness of the islands and their unique tourism experience on offer. This opportunity to highlight the islands’ biodiversity and natural history, and the consequent increased number of visitors, represents a realistic prospect for building a sustainable economic future for the community. Presenting plans to the Pitcairn Islands Council, alongside representatives from Pew, National Geographic and RSPB, Sept. 2014 Meeting the Pitcairn Islands Tourism Department, Sept. 2014 (5) Increasing awareness of Pitcairn’s importance in meeting the UK’s biodiversity targets Existing signage and interpretation from Pitcairn Island Working in partnership with the Pitcairn Islands' Tourism Department, the Pitcairn Islands Museum, and other members of the community we aim to enhance tourism opportunities for the Pitcairn Islands. This includes developing the provision of a unique tourism experience whilst emphasising the special marine biodiversity of the islands to an increasing number of visitors. This project is supporting the community by enhancing the number of ‘self-guided’ activities available and developing effective outreach and interpretive materials. The coral reefs around Pitcairn’s four islands have a higher proportion of live coral than reefs elsewhere such as those in the Caribbean (from Sala et al., 2012). The overall aim of the project is to ensure long term protection for marine biodiversity in the Pitcairn Islands consistent with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) although the CBD does not yet extend to the Pitcairn Islands group. To date, in the region of 1,145 marine species (including seabirds) have been recorded from the waters surrounding the Pitcairn Islands. The islands’ marine environment supports 38 globally threatened species, including whales, seabirds, turtles, fish and corals – a number of which are endemic. Relating to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the project has established a monitoring program for the largest and most charismatic of the Pitcairn species; the Humpback Whale Megaptera noveangliae, which is listed as ‘Endangered’ in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Large fish thrive around Pitcairn’s four islands, demonstrating how natural and healthy the populations are compared with Hawaii where fishing has removed most of the large fish (from Sala et al., 2012). References Acknowledgements Dawson, T.P., 2015. The UK Government agrees to create the world’s largest marine reserve around the Pitcairn Islands, a UK Overseas Territory in the South Pacific, Pacific Conservation Biology, http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/PC14916. We would like to thank the UK Darwin initiative (Project no. 20-006), which is administered by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for their financial support for this work. We thank Darwin project members: Ana Pinto (ZSL), Henry Duffy (Imperial College London) and Tom Letessier (ZSL/University of Western Australia) for their valuable contribution to the research and outreach activities. Thanks also to the following who have collaborated with us on the project: Michel Blanc (SPC), Enric Sala (National Geographic Society), Alistair Gammell, Heather Bradner and Jo Royle (Pew Charitable Trusts Global Ocean Legacy Program), Tom Appleby (UWE), John Kelly and Elisabeth Whitebread (RSPB). We also thank Enric Sala and National Geographic Society for permission to reproduce two figures, and to Michele Christian (Natural Resource Division Manager, Government of Pitcairn) and all the Pitcairn Island community for their valuable support. Irving, R.A. and Dawson, T.P., 2012. The marine environment of the Pitcairn Islands. A report to the Global Ocean Legacy programme, Pew Charitable Trusts. Dundee: Dundee University Press: ISBN 9781845861612. Sala, E., Friedlander, A., Ballesteros, E., Brown, E., Bradner, H., Caselle, Fay, J.M. & Turchik, A., 2012. Pitcairn Islands Expedition Report. National Geographic Society and Pew Environment Group. 99p. References