Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Bruce Mann Colin Buxton David Pollard Kent Carpenter
Contributors: Claire Gorman Mia Comeros-Raynal
Reviewers: Colin Attwood

Rationale

Spondyliosoma emarginatum is a common and abundant species that is primarily used for bait or retained in the absence of more profitable species. It is likely that this species is under-exploited and no major threats have been identified. Spondyliosoma emarginatum is protected in marine protected areas within its range. It is listed as Least Concern.

Distribution

Spondyliosoma emarginatum is endemic to South Africa and is known from Saldanha Bay to Durban, KwaZulu-Natal (Heemstra and Heemstra 2004). There is a questionable record off southern Madagascar (Fischer and Bianchi 1984). The depth range for this species is one to 50 m depth (van der Elst and Adkin 1991, Fairhurst et al. 2007).

Population trend

Trend

No stock assessment has been conducted on this species. CPUE trends cannot be detected as this species is relatively unimportant in the linefishery and the CPUE data are unreliable (Tunley and Attwood 2012). Generally sex ratios are skewed towards more females in exploited areas compared to the no-take reserve in Langebaan (Tunley et al. 2009).

Threats

Currently, no major threats have been identified for Spondyliosoma emarginatum.

Uses and trade

Spondyliosoma emarginatum is generally too small to market and not a preferred species; however, linefishers will keep individuals of this species for personal consumption, bait, or in the absence of more profitable species (Tunley and Attwood 2012). Spondyliosoma emarginatum comprises a small component of recreational and commercial skiboat catches in the Southeastern Cape and Southwestern Cape. Primarily used as bait but increasingly being used for food as other larger species become depleted (Aitken et al. 2000). It is seldom taken by shore anglers but is occasionally taken in beach seine nets in the Southwestern Cape (Lamberth et al. 1994).

Conservation

There are no species specific conservation efforts in place for Spondyliosoma emarginatum but it is included in the daily bag limit for recreational and subsistence fishers of ten fish per person per day and is unlimited for commercial fishers (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 2012). This species is effectively protected in a number of no-take MPAs over its entire distributional range including the Langebaan, De Hoop Marine Reserve, Goukamma, Tsitsikamma National Park, Sardinia Bay Reserve, Bird Island, Dwesa Cwebe and Pondoland (B. Mann and C. Buxton pers. comm. 2009).

References 

[@techreport{2060,
 address = {Durban},
 author = {Mann, B.Q.},
 institution = {Southern African Association for Marine Biological Research Oceanographic Research Institute},
 title = {Southern African Marine Linefish Species Profiles},
 year = {2013}
}
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 year = {1994}
}
,@book{12137,
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 author = {Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries},
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}
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 journal = {S. Afr. J. Mar. Sci.},
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,@article{170172,
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 journal = {African Journal of Marine Science},
 number = {1},
 pages = {79--92},
 title = {Life-history of the steentjie <i>Spondyliosoma emarginatum</i> (Cuvier 1830) in Langebaan Lagoon, South Africa},
 volume = {29},
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}
,@article{170172,
 author = {Tunley, K.L., Attwood, C.G., Moloney, C.L. and Fairhurst, L. },
 journal = {African Journal of Marine Science},
 number = {2},
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 title = {Variation in population structure and life history parameters of steentjies <i>Spondyliosoma emarginatum</i>: effects of exploitation and biogeography},
 volume = {31},
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}
,]
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