Palau has a rich tradition of fisheries management and stewardship of its waters, and as in many island nations, small-scale coral reef fisheries are a vital part of the local culture, economy, and food security. However, reef fisheries in Palau are data-poor and there is increasing concern that reef fish stocks are declining. To evaluate the current and future status of these resources, information is needed on the abundance, biomass, and size structure of reef fish resource species. To this aim, the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) conducted a nation-wide study to investigate the status of commercially important reef fish stocks in 2017. Fishery-independent surveys were conducted by diver operated stereo-video (stereo-DOV) at 94 sites across the archipelago. Results showed that fish biomass varied from 0.13 to 293 g m⁻². Habitat was the most significant predictor of fish biomass, with the highest biomass found at western fore-reef sites and the lowest at inner reef sites. Region also affected fish biomass, with significantly higher biomass found in the Northern Reefs compared to those around Babeldaob (the largest island in Palau). In channel habitats, marine protected area (MPA) proximity, fishing pressure from Koror (Palau’s main population center), and local fishing pressure significantly influenced fish biomass. In western fore-reef habitats, fish biomass was significantly affected by region, with differences observed between the Northern Reefs and Babeldaob, and between the Southern Reefs and Babeldaob. Fishing pressure from Koror had a significant effect on fish biomass in inner reef habitats, with a weak negative relationship observed. Using length frequencies from the stereo-DOV surveys we also estimated spawning potential ratio (SPR) for seven species and found the majority had SPR values between 20 % and 40 %. Overall, the low fish biomass and SPRs suggests that many of Palau’s principal fisheries species have been overexploited. This is the first study to evaluate the status of resource reef fish stocks across the main islands of Palau and provides a baseline to assess changes in fish populations over time.

帕劳有着丰富的渔业管理和水域管理传统，在许多岛国中，小规模的珊瑚礁渔业是当地文化，经济和粮食安全的重要组成部分。但是，帕劳的珊瑚礁渔业数据匮乏，人们越来越担心珊瑚礁鱼类种群在减少。为了评估这些资源的当前和未来状态，需要有关礁鱼资源种类的丰度，生物量和大小结构的信息。为此，帕劳国际珊瑚礁中心（PICRC）进行了一项全国性研究，以调查2017年商业上重要的珊瑚礁鱼类种群的状况。整个群岛有94个站点。结果表明，鱼类生物量在0.13至293 gm之间变化⁻²。生境是鱼类生物量的最重要预测因子，在西部前礁区发现的生物量最高，在内礁区发现的最低。该地区还影响了鱼类的生物量，与巴别岛岛（帕劳最大的岛屿）周围的生物量相比，北部珊瑚礁的生物量明显更高。在河道生境中，邻近海洋保护区（MPA），来自科罗尔（帕劳的主要人口中心）的捕鱼压力和当地捕鱼压力极大地影响了鱼类生物量。在西部前礁生境中，鱼类生物量受区域的影响很大，北部珊瑚礁和巴别岛礁之间以及南部珊瑚礁和巴别岛礁之间都存在差异。来自科罗尔的捕捞压力对内礁生境中的鱼类生物量有显着影响，但观察到的负相关性较弱。使用来自立体声DOV调查的长度频率，我们还估计了7个物种的产卵电位比（SPR），发现大多数物种的SPR值在20％到40％之间。总体而言，鱼类生物量和SPR较低，表明帕劳的许多主要渔业物种已被过度开发。这是第一项评估帕劳主要岛屿上资源礁鱼类种群状况的研究，并为评估鱼类种群随时间的变化提供了基线。