Reef fisheries are an important part of the local culture, economy, and food security in many Pacific Island nations, including Palau. However, effective management decisions are often hindered by a lack of biological information on target species. This project will investigate the reproductive biology of the longnose emperor, one of the top reef fishery species in Palau. The longnose emperor is thought to form spawning aggregations; however, spawning has not been observed and there is a lack of information on this species. Data will be collected at a suspected spawning aggregation site, to confirm spawning, and describe the timing, seasonality, and movement patterns of fish at and around the aggregation. Additional data will be collected from fish landings to improve life-history estimates, length-frequency distributions, and update stock status estimates for the longnose emperor in Palau. The results on this important reef fisheries species will be used to inform a new reef fisheries management plan and improve management of Palau’s reef fisheries resources.
