Standing Out in a Big Crowd: High Cultural and Economic Value of Naso unicornis in the Insular Pacific
1
The Australian Institute of Marine Science, Crawley, WA 6008, Australia
2
Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawaii, HI 96818, USA
Fishes 2019, 4(3), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes4030040
Received: 18 June 2019
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Revised: 25 June 2019
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Accepted: 26 June 2019
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Published: 3 July 2019
Hundreds of fish species are harvested in coral-reef fisheries in the Indo-Pacific region using a variety of fishing gears. This diversity makes the economics, ecology, and management of reef-associated fisheries inherently complex. However, across insular fisheries spanning the tropical Pacific, one species consistently dominates contemporary fisheries catch: the bluespine unicornfish (Naso unicornis, Acanthuridae). I evaluated the relative contribution of N. unicornis to commercial fisheries in the insular Pacific region from long-term (>1 year) fishery surveys across various jurisdictions and provide evidence of the contemporary cultural value of this species. Overall, evidence suggests that N. unicornis is the most commercially-valuable reef-associated fish species across the insular Pacific. This notion, coupled with a diverse representation of N. unicornis across Pacific cultures, suggests that the species is presently underappreciated in its role in coastal fisheries across Pacific Island nations.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Taylor, B.M. Standing Out in a Big Crowd: High Cultural and Economic Value of Naso unicornis in the Insular Pacific. Fishes 2019, 4, 40. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes4030040
AMA Style
Taylor BM. Standing Out in a Big Crowd: High Cultural and Economic Value of Naso unicornis in the Insular Pacific. Fishes. 2019; 4(3):40. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes4030040
Chicago/Turabian StyleTaylor, Brett M. 2019. "Standing Out in a Big Crowd: High Cultural and Economic Value of Naso unicornis in the Insular Pacific" Fishes 4, no. 3: 40. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes4030040
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