Pacific Science Board , *m

ATOLL RZSEiWH BUUETIIJ

Published by PnCIFIC SCIENCE BOARD

National Research'Council Slashington, D. C

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Octcbor 15, 35%

-.- MARINE ZOOLOGY STUDY OF ARNO ATOLL,

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^{@- MARE~ALL} I S L A N D S ~ ~

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^. Pacific Science Board

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^. uational Research Council .

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f i k. _{. .} -.ogeit

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'Hiatt, &&ted by

Conald Strasburg

Pale a

'Universitv. of Hawaii _--

~onolulu

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~ a w a i i December 1950.

(Scientific Investigations i n Micronesia) Project -of the Pacific

Science Board of the National ResearchCouncil, and t h i s report,covers f i e l d work f o r the period 13 June - 1 2 September, 1950. This project i s supported by funds granted t o t h e National Academy of Sciences

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^{~ .~} t h e Office of Naval Research, and the f i e l d work was carried out ~ i t h '

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the active assistance of the Navy Department, the Uilitary A i r h a n s - port Service, and the o f f i c i a l s of the Civil Administrative Staff of

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the Trust Territory (Na*). ^.

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@specially helpful i n numerous ,ways were Coaander Kenney, Msign .*

Dodds and M r . Ben Kessler on Majuro, and &mm&iderf&ila on Kwajalein.

The many ways i n which Miss Ernestine Akers, Honolulu secretary of the Pacific Science Board, assisted in arranging f o r t h i s project were greatly appreciated by the e n t i r e personnel.

The University of Hawaii through its Pacific Islands Research Fund provided generously f o r a l l the equipment and supplies f o r several members of the group, and i s now providing technical help i n working up the mass of data accumulated a t h o .

To a l l of the above who contributed t o making the research de- scribed i n t h i s report possible I wish t o express my gratitude and

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appreciatibn. ^. : ⁱ

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TABLE CF CONTE%TS

Subsistence o r Food Resources Species Used

Catch S t a t i s t i c s

Methods of collecti.ng and f i s h i n g

Methods of preparation of marine products Use of marine products a s f e r t i l i z e r s f o r agricul.tursl crops

Use of marine products a s food f o r domestic animals

Tuna b a i t f i s h resources Poisonous species

Use of uninhabited i s l e t s a s a source of marine products

Importance of marine products from t h e r e e f s and lagoon a s compared v:ith t h e cceanic realm Implement and Ornamental Resources

Sponges

S h e l l Jewelry

Other uses of s h e l l s

SUPJFX OF ECQNOMICALLY IitPpGRTMT DflI19ilINE RISOGRCZS Fish

Turtles

I n v e r t e b r a t e s Plant Resources GENXRAL IYIIPR3SS:ON S

NATIVE USES Or' MAFINE i'RODUCTS 3ubsj.s-tence o r Food Resources Species Use&

Approximate1.y 1.75 species of' f i s h and i n v e r t e b r a t e s a r e used f o r food 'by t h e Amoese. The exact to-tall may rea.ch 230, but t h e most i m - p o r t a n t sgecies involved a r e included i n t h e 175 ~ ~ h i c h were seen and i d e n t i f i e d both by t h e i r s c i e n t i f i c name and by t h e l o c a i % a r s h a l l e s e name. Frequently, riifferences between Radak and Ralik names were noted,

s o t o avoid confusion a policy wzs established t o a6here only +,o t h e Radak name. L i s t s o f %hese species w i l l be presented i n the technical.

r e p o r t s .

Very fe-a of t h e s p e c k s used a r e of seasonal occure;ice. T h i s re- s u l t s , i n p a r t , from t h e c e a r l y t o t a l lazk of f i s h i n g f o r pelagic f i s h with migratory h a b i t s such a s t h e tunas and spearfishes. The f i s h and invertebra.tes usually taken a r e p r e s e n t i n t h e lagoon throughout t h e year, although l u n a r phases, t i d e s and spawning season do influence

f i s h i n g a c t i v l t , y f o r c e r t a i n species.

There i s a s u r p r i s l n s lack o f conservation measures and tabus re- 1atir:p t o %he marine sl3ecies. I n times p a s t c e r t a i n f i s h e s , e.g., t h e mole ( S i p n u s r o s t r a t u s ) were reserved f o r t h e i r o i j , but.such p r a c t i c e s have been l a r y e l y discontinued, except f o r certaSn choice p a r t s of some f i s h . No seasonal r e s - t r i c t i o n s o r minimum s i z e l i m i t s a r e icvoked. The abssnce cf such r e s t r i c t i o n s most c e r t s i n l y sterns ?Yon t h e a b ~ n d ~ n c e of food f i s h e s a ~ r a i l a b l e ,

No species a r e reserved f o r s p e c i a l occasions, although t h e f i s h i n g methods involved preparatory t o a l a r g e communit:r celebrabion l a r g e l y de- termine t h e species which w i l l be caught and consumed. I n general, it

appears t h a t "occasions" a r i s e folloxing a very successful f i s h i n g opera- t i o n , r a t h e r than before t h e f i s h i n g a c t i v i t y .

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Catch s t a t i s t i c s _.

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A s was noted i n the i n i t i a l Field Progress Iie>ort, catch s t a t i s t i c s a s such a r e impossible t o secure because f i s h i n g i s a family e n t e r p r i s e and i s n o t entered i n t o commercially on Arno Atoll. The only opportunity f o r determining the catch was t o keep s e v e r a l t y p i c a l f a m i l i e s under o'c- servation t o a s c e r t a i n the amount of sea food consumed per person. Data of t h i s s o r t a r e extremely d i f f i c u l t t o secure because of t h e v a r i a b l e f i s h i n g a c t i v i t y betwen f a m i l i e s and with time, coupled with t h e f a c t t h a t interviews on such s u b j e c t s a r e f a r from s a t i s f a c t o r y . Some data a r e a v a i l a b l e from t h e Ar,thropologi.sts of t h i s P r o j e c t rpiho l i v e d f o r

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periods a i t h n a t i v e families. The data a v a i l a b l e w i l l be s e t f o r t h i n

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t h e technical report. I t s u f f i c e s here t o mention t h a t f i s h is, i n general,

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a s t a p l e food item, and, i f a v a i l a b l e , i s eaten a t every meal. The con-

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sumption of sea food probably averages one pound per day f o r each person.

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Methods of collectin.; and f i s h i n g

Tne Fin f i s h e r y on t h e lagoon r e e f i s by f a r the most important t o t h e krnoese. A r a t h e r complete description of a l l t h e gear and i t s use has been compiled f o r inclusion i n the technical reports.

Stone t r a p s erected on t h e lagoon r e e f o r on r e e f passes betrleen is- lands a r e frequently met. '?he position and construction of e a c h t r a p i s

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d e s i g n e d f o r ' c e r t & f i s h species. h e i r production v a r i e s from place

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t o place, but i n &era1 t h e t r a p s a r e very successful. The v i l l a g e of . .

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Loxar, f o r example, maintains a s e r i e s of f i v e t r a p s which supply t h e

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population of 50 to 60 persons with all t h e fish. needed.

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Wooden s t i c k t r a p s of t h e ^{, . ,} type ~. used . . generally throl u t Micrc

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n e s i a a r e s e t o u t on the r e e f s by fndividual famil.ies.

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Aside from i t s use i n throw n e t s , f l y i n g f i s h n e t s , tine square

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ukonjabuk n e t and bonbon n e t , regular cord n e t t i n g i s seldom used. Most

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of the seining methods a r e accomplished with coconut fronds built i n t o

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l e a f sweeps of various kinds and dimensions. _{. .} Seven d i f f e r e n t methods of

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using l e a f sweeps were recorded in d e t a i l , _{, .} and the chief f i s h e s taken

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with each have been l i s t e d . Some t r o l l i n g f o r tunas and carangic! f i s h e s

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i s done with wooden plugs t o which c h i . c h ' f e a t h e r s are t i e d so a s t o _{. .}

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resemble t h e common f e a t h e r j i g used by sportfishermen. In times p a s t 4

i ' t r o l l i n g l u r e s were fashioned from Qe s h e l l of the p e a r l oyster, but

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t h i s i s v j x t u a l l y a l o s t art; only a few of the o l d h o e s e remember how

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I t o make these l u r e s . One b u i l t on our request w i l l be described i n de-

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I I t a i l in the t e c h i c a l report. _{. .} . . .

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Arnoese a r e excellent spear fishermen and t h i s method i s one . .

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of the chief ones employed t o provide f i s h f o r individual families.

Spearing i s done on Soth the seaward and lagoon reefs. _{. , .} . . Unlike American ^{. .}

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spears whhLcn a r e berbed and shot from an a i r gun o r a rubber s l i n g , tine

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Arnoese spears a r e barbless and have f i r m l y attached, slim wooden handles ,

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with a s h o r t mbber s l i n g fastened t o the handle. A long spear about

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1 1 2 f e e t i n length, a s h o r t e r spear about 6 f e e t i n length, +d a long

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gaff about &, f e e t i n length a r e c a r r i e d by :. each spear fisherman,

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F i q i n g poles made,of wood from t h e Premna corvmbosa t r e e

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^{8:. ,} ... . . . . ^. . ^. are used without r e e l s . The s h o r t l i n e i s attached t o the t i p of the pole, These

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~ ~ a r e used st . . . t h e . edge? . of c h a n r k s and a t t edge of t h e reef where . . .

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. , t h e l i n e cap bel

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down i n t o deeper wate5. "&$t hook a n d l i n e f i s h i n g

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;is done from s m a l l p i d d l i n g outrigger.6dnoes, u s u a l l y a t the o u t e r edge

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. , ~f t h e lagoon reef o r ouer c o r a l mound* r i s i n g near t h e surface from the ^~-

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, % , . lagoon f l o o r .

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^. Other f i s h i n g metnods t o be described i n the technicnl r e p o r t s include

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^{: ' -} 'the i k a i d r i k ( f o r R e g a t i s bipinnulatus), t h e jSbke ( f o r porpoise)', the .

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". j aibo ( f o r huge sipunculid worms), the eraroe (h&d kroping)

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t h e k a i k i k i t

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. :. (groping ,with a s t i c k ) , t h e kawZIr ( t r e a d i n & ; ' t h e - k a b w i l (treading a t n i g h t

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; '*with ,., .. B'.%rch) end f i s h poisoning i n muddy, swamps by hydrogen sulphide and . ..

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by the cru,shed f r u i t of t h e Barrinztonia' t r e e .

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Except f o r . . f i s h .

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hooks and some twine all the gear used i n f i s h i n g is

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> . ^{, ' .}.. . ^{? . ~}. hand made by , t h e m o e s e . ^A r e a l lack in i r e s e n t fishing s u p p l i e s ' i s

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+ t r i n e f o r f i s h i n g l i n e s and f o r weaving nets. No s p e c i a l f i s h i n g vessels a r e used a t Arno. The small paddle canoes a r e e s s e n t i a l l y j u s t hand l i n e

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-. . boats, whereas, the l a r g e r s a i l i n g canoes a r e c h i e f l y f o r transportation,.,

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. : - w i t h f i s h i n g operations secondary i n importance. m i l e m'my canoes a r e

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. i n operation on Arno, they a r e i n s h o r t supply.- Lumber from'breadfruit

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t r e e s _. and _. s k i l l e d .canoe b u i l d e r s a r e n o t pl.&tiful.

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. . . . It was n o t possible t o a s c e r t a i n t h e catch per i n i t of e f f o r t because . .

. :. . -t h e time spent ~

in

f i s h i n g and the f i s h i n g t r l p s ' w e r e very e r r a t i c .

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.. .. .~ The f i n f i s h e r y i n the.cicean i s relativelji'&important to t h e Arnoese.

. . . Some trol1ing;for tunas and .some f i s h i n g fir' ? l Y i n g " ~ i s h ' i s done, b u t t h e

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-: . ' :'~ t o t a l cqttch i s ins&gnificant. .

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^There

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no s e a t u r t l e . f i s h e r y on b.' ' The &reen Sea T u r t l e i s

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I n o t common and t h e catch a t infrequent i n t e r v a l s occurs by chance. ^A f e n .

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t u r t l e s have been seen t o de,.osit eggs on t h e sandy beaches, but t h e observations &re r a r e .

Among t h e i n v e r t e b r a C e f i s h e r i e s the molluscan species a r e the most _{. . . .}

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important . . . t o . t h e Amoese. .Certain gastropods of t h e families Strombidae,

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Turbinidae, and Neritidae a r e sought f o r food while cowries . ^: ( ~ y ~ r a e i d a e )

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a r e collected. f o r the.making of jewelry ax~d f o r o t h e r ornamental purposes. _{. . . .} Among the pelecypods t h e most. important is. A s a ~ h i ' s d e f l o r d which i s

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esteemed a s . feed, and the s h e l l makes a most u s e f u l scraper f o r v&ious

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a c t i v i t i e s i n t h e preparation of food. The g i a n t c l a m s ( e i d a c n i d a e ) a r e

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n o t used extensively f o r rood, but the small attached species TrirXacna crocea and

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elongata a r e frequently gathered t o f e r t i l i z e tho b r e a d f r u i t t r e e s . Native op&$ion on t h e use of t h e giant:clani8 i n d i c a t e s t h a t they a r e l e s s desirable th&xi ^' f i s h .for %he table, and' t h a t 'the,'abundance of ' a g r i c u l t u r a l crops (bx%a&ihit; istO.)::'irt- ~mno~mc::&it hnnecessarv t o ex-

p z o i t a l l availaljle s ~ b s i s t e n c ~ ' $ e ~ s o u r c e r i 6n t h i 'reefs. . . .

Land crabs, both brachyuran and the anomuran, B i r f t u s l a t r d , .are caught and eaten frequently. An intensive study of t h e ecology of land crabs was made and w i l l , be p r e s e n t e d i n - t h e t e c h n i c a l report.

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Holothurians ^{. .} a r e n o t used a t Arno f o r any purpose although the r e e f s , t y p i c a l of t h e t r o p i c s , abound with manJI species. The tremendous popula-

. . t i o n d e n s i t y of Holothuria cinarescens on t h e lagoon r e e f s was i n v e s t i - gated i n d e t a i l and w i l l form t h e subject of a ~ p e c Z a l technical report.

No use whatever i s made of t h e V a l g a e on the r e e f s . ^' Unlike P o l p e s i a n s ,

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t h e Micronesians do not coisume sea weeds, n d r . ' d o t t h e y use it a s f e r t i -

Methods of p r e ~ a r a t i o n of io&rine ~ r o d u c t s ^, . ,

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The methods of handling various food f i s h e s ' f o r i , m e d i a t e consump- t i o n o r foi. storage . . . were recarded in d e t a i l . LargetunCis' and porpoises are butphered ^. .. . * .- according ^;a stereotyped plan, t h e v@iods-cuts w e .given. a m e s i and t h e i t o l j

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p o r t i o n s a r e des$mated.. .. ^, . A.11-these ob'Eierva-

t i o n s w l l l be described i n c o n s i d e r a b l e . .. . d e t a i l . .~ . Of note i s t h e f a c t t h a t t h e porp@$e. caught. a$ &no

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be a new species,aqcording, to' :prelim-

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i n a r y r e p o r t s from Dr. David,J&n$on'of:the.U. .

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^{.) .. ..} S. 2ationa.I Museum. The author has furnished photo'graphs ana. e c o l o g i c a l ~ n o t e b t o Dr., Johnson.

lo marwe

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species w e prepared. . f o r ,exporC.

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marine ~ r b d u c t s a s f e r t i l h e z k f o r a r r r i c u i t u k l

iro*s

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organisms used f o r ' f e r t i l i z e r are, the two' small

. . . clams,

i.

crocea a n d z . eloniata. l'lleke a r e u s e d t o

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f e r t i l i z e b r e a d f r u i t ti;&; t h e methods w i l l be d e t a i l e d i n t h e techni-

. . . c a l report.

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'US6 0.f marine products

as

,foad f o r domestic a n i m d s - . ^'

The. sqla ^{% ..} uses ~f ,.marine pr~du@tS:Co feed dbmestic ^{. , . .}a n i m d s a r e ^{. . .} f i s h fob . dog . fdbd . . qd. ,ghqst 'crabs . . . (Ocmo&ee) . . . wh.idh ax&.&& 'LC&=, $0 increase

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'4,- . - ^%

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'Tuna b s i t f i s h resources ,. . - (. ~. ^~ -

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s i n c e b a i t f i s h resburbes may become h e most s i g n i f i c a n t marine income

. ^.

^{. . .}

item t o nativ'es on a t o l l s , ' a tho=ough silrvey was made of t h e b a i t f i s h avo.il-

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able. Data were i t h e r e d on spe&es present, population density, dis-

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tribution, about t h e a t o l l , ecology, and length frequencies. Several l a r g e

soh-hpof

s

of dusumierids ., - ., , and,.

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^. p l u p e i d s ^{. . . .} vew, ^{. , , ..} . poisoned ^. so that. @.:?xqm@ation _{. ,} o f t h e reproductive condition, food h a b i t s and length f r e q u e i d i e s could

I . , . . ^, .. . ^{\ , ~} : , '

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b e ascertained. It'may be s t a t e d her; t h i t b a i t f i s h resources a r e rela- . . / . . . :

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^{. . . ,}

t i v e l y g r e a t a t Arno Atoll. Schools *ere frequently e n c o ~ n t e r e d w b i c h would supply up to 200 scoope of b a i t .

Poisonous species

Through intervievis with n a t i v e s approximately 15 species of f i s h

' . ...I . ,.., , , : :

, I .. ., ^{. .} . . . , ^, .

' were found t o be These included m&y of the f i s h e s known t o

a s ,

be poisonous i n t r o ~ i c a l waters such a s Ctenochaetu~ s t r i m s u s , s e v e r a l ., ..,.

species of ~ e t r a o d o n , C&thigaster a n d ~ i o d o n . Some scorpae&ids,

, " , . . .. , 9 ,.

Synancea x m c o s a , ~ t e r o i s , certainmuraenid e e l s , aqd c e r t a i n b a l i s - t i d s . No seasonal d i f f e r e n c e s i n poisonous p r o p e r t i e s was appwent, but . $ e r t a i n species poison o n m e s i d e of the a t o l l were n o t poison on the

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$Mw,t

Use of uninhabited i s l e t s a s a source of marine ~ r o d c c t 4

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General observations showed t h a t n a t i v e s did n ~ . t venture f a r away 'from t h e i r home island t o fish, and t h e f i s h populations, a s s e e n during

*.

... .long,.periods. ofj..skin &iving w,ith f a c e p l a t e s , ,along t h e s,horas of w i n + ^{' .}

. . . . -. _{' f . > .}

habited i s l e t s wene d e f i n i t e l y greater. It was apparent t h a t ,the f i s h . ' '

populations qround.inhabiteyJ. i s l e t s , &though s p a r s e r than a r o y d unin-

,

habited isl.ets,.were s t i L 1 adequate t o provide t h e n e c e s s a r y - f o o d , f i s h i n the time a v a i l 6 b l e : f o r fishing. Thsls, i t i s n o t necesswy f o r the. n a t i v e s t o go t o uninhabited i s l e t s t o fiqh. The f i s h resources around these

. . uninhabited i s l e t s a r e d e f i n % t e l y under-exploited.

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: .

,. ,: .. .~ . J ~ o f i a n ~ e of mari-n oducts -fromtl%e'reefs and lagoon a s compared

~ ~. with t h e oceanic r e d m

. . . - b

;..

^{, .}

As. s t a t e d previously, t h e r e e f s and lagoon produce v i r t u a l l y a l l

. : . .

. . : . . .

.

_{. .}

t h e marine products u t i l i z e d . The paucity of passes through t h e r e e f s , t h e l o c a t i o n of dl dwellings along t h e q u i e t lagoon shore and t h e dis- t r i b u t i o n of canoes on the lagoon beaches preclude any extensive use of

oceanic waters. . . .

. . . . ..

.

Implement and Ornamental Resources

....

. .

. - . Sponges

. .. _{... :}

sponges' of comAer&al types a r e scarce a t Arno, and, except for'

. . . . .

. .

l i m i t e d household use by t h e n a t i v e s , a r e n o t harvested.

. . _. .

.. .

^{. ~}

S h e l l jewelry _{. ~ .}

-

^,_,~ ^{.;) ' 8}

.. ^{~ <}

The Arnoese havenevee'made s h e l l jewelqy r o r export. =me cowrxes were c o l l e c t e d by p a r t i e s of Japanese during t h e Mandate f o r use i n

jewelry, but no commercial e x p l o i t a t i o n occurred. .

. _

^.

.

- ^L

..I. . . , . . . ,

I;

%her u s e s of s h e l l s .

.

^...

The use of p e a r l oyster s h e l l s f o r f i s h i n g l u r e s has'been mentioned pPeviously. The sfiell of t h e pelecypod, Asaphis d e f l o r a t a , i s used a s a:#draper f o r many household uses; via., scraping charcoal from.baked

-.

.

breadfruit, scraping s o f t coconut meat from drinking nuts, and scraping

. .

bark o f f mangrove sprouts f o r t h e preparation of cl7.e. The shelL. of t h e helmet conch, &s.& cornuta, i s used as a scraper f o r cooked Pandanus f r u i t on a device. termed the beka,

No s h e l l s have ever been exported from Arno f o r commercial purposes.

SURTXY OF ECONOMICAL,LY IMPOF,TAE!T UARINE HESCURCFS

Rather than m k e a very general sucvey of t h e resourcec over t h e e n t i r e a t o l l , our st,udy was concentrated is a small area. t y p i c a l of aiuch of t h e a t o l l so t h a t a thorough ecologicsl account o!? l i f e on 'n a t o l l s i g h t be obtained. C o i n c i l e r ~ t w i t h the detailec! observations, a fe-N

f l . e l d t r i p s !?eye taken t o o t h e r i m ~ o r t m t a.reas to v i e r -che resour'ces

and 1;'os discus:; trient % i t h the i n h a b i t a n t s . %us, a f h d m e n t a l

comparison of o%her a r e e s visi.ted with our intezisiveip studied afforded. For t h i s p r p o s e t h r e e t r a n s e c t s & e r e I t i d out, one

b a s i s f o r a r e a F:as across t h e s e a r e e f , hnother across -khe lagoon reef and a t h i r d across Ine I s l a n d from tlze sea "ezch t o the l a g o m beach. P l o t s vere marked o f f a t 50 fo'ost intervrils on t h e sae. reef and 1U30 f o o t i n t e r v a l s on t h e izgoon r-ef and ac-oss the laid. Thorough cc1lectLons of tiie mimal.; p r e m n t i n each pl.ob were made. Temperature a d s a l i n i t y were detwwined f o r each sec-Lion nnfier varied conditions, and t h e ccntours of t 5 e r e e f aqd coral -!.ops were measured. :"he f i s h present i n each see-tion ?!eye coliec-led by poisoning with r o t e ~ o n e so t h a t a q u a n t i t a t i v e study of t h a i r ab;m&ance and d i s t r t -

bution il r e i a t i o n t o e n v i r o n ~ e n t a l Z2.c-tors could. be made.

Sicecies of c o r a l s present >.ere collected and estdmates of t2ieiF :.bundance were m d e f o r each section. Drawings of .these t r a n s ~ c t s h a w been ma& ~ h o r i n g -the t y ~ e , and d i s t r i b u t i o n of dornin,mt c o r a l s present i n each section. The vegetative cover an& surface cor!tours have been d r a m f o r t h s land t r m s e c t t o show -the ecol.cgica1 f e a t u r e s s i f g i C i c ~ n t i n the ecology of Land crabs.

-9-

F i s h

--

A s t h i s r e p o r t i s w i t t e n 310 species of f i s h htive been i d e n t i f i e d and several a d d i t i o n a l species w i l l r e s u l t from more det,ail.ed examina- t i o n of a few of t h e more d i f f i c u l t families. One o r more specimens of each species c o l l e c t e d has been returned t o Honolulu f o r subsequent check on i d e n t i f i c a t i o n s and f o r use a s a named c o l l e c t i o n t o a i d subse- quent s t u d i e s i n t h e Trust Terri.tory. This c o l l e c t i o n combined with t h e duplicates of f i s h species taken during Operation Crossroads a t R i k h i which were s e n t t o t h e University by t h e United S t a t e s National rfiuseum and the c o l l e c t i o n s made throughout t h e Hawaiian and Line Islands by s t a f f members of t h e University and of t h e P a c i f i c Oceanic Fishery In- v e s t i g a t i o n s provide what i s probably the b e s t f i s h c o l l e c t i o n s f o r t h e

. . .

Central P a c i f i c . These c o l l e c t i o n s ~~:il!- be made a v a i l a b l e t any qnali-

, . . .

f i e d s c i e n t i s t riorkirgin t h e area. The 310 species now l i s t e d represent 60 f a m i l i e s (following the c l a s s i f i c a t i o n of Rerg). A t o t a l of 1197 f i s h representing 1/+6 species were examined f o r t h e i r food and feeding habits.

These data w i l l provide t h e most comprehensive account of b i o t i c i n t e r - action on a c o r a l r e e f y e t made. The gonadal development was noted on a l l f i s h opened f o r stomach examination. Thus, f o r approximately 1200 f i s h ne have records on t h e i r standard length, sex, and gonadal develop- ment. Such d a t a w i l l be o f g r e a t importance i n estimating reproductive seasons and t'ne age and s i z e a t maturity f o r f i s h i n t h i s l a t i t u d e .

Considerable information on l a r v a l a ~ d juvenile development of r e e f f i s h e s was obtained. Several s e r i e s showing growth and p a t t e r n metamor- phosis were taken, preserved and returned f o r study. For each species ecological notes were recorded t o i n d i c a t e i t s niche i n t h e biocoenosis,

i t s preferred h a b i t a t , and its behavior patterns. Careful notes were taken on aggregating h a b i t s of many species.

Except f o r c e r t a i n , species of clupeids and i.sumierids suitabf*

f o r tuna' bai;tfish, no other 'food f i s h e s ' were taken i n s u f f i c i e n t abun- dance to a f f o r d analyses by l e n g t h frequencies.. .Consequet$tLy, ythe'ef-'

.

. . f e c t s of f h h i n g on. the s i z e and age s t r u c t u r e and abundttnce'oPkdst species was.not obtained. However; all specie8.coinm~nly u t i l i z e d f o r

. . . .

ro$& were present i n abundance a n d ' @

d.1

s i z e ran&&'knomm.for t h e ,!specjeg., I t i s apparent from these observations t h a t ' f i s h i n g i n t e n s i t y

at Am? .is,,;?ot a f f e c t i n g t h e s t r u c t u r e of fibh.popul&ions i n any 6iyi.

.

. . GenepXLy s p e e i n g a l l food.. f i s h e s a r e being underfished. r a t h e r than

1 . ,.

-

,ipiv~.?fi+hed y d th.elreef and lagoon f i s h e r i e s o&ld ..We W r e a s e d several f b l d without decreasing the y i e l d -per u n i t of f i & i n g d f f 6 r t .

For t h e b a i t f i s h , Stolephorus delicatulus, Harenmla ov&is and Atherina ovolaua, s e v e r a l l a r g e ' c o l l e c t i o n s r e r e made wikh rotenone so

. .

',

t h a t length frequencies could be e u d i e d . Froni these-. ddta.inre.are: able t o i n d i c a t e the age . ^. groups i n the population, t h e s i z e ran'ge; availalile i n a b a i t f i s h e r y so. t h a t mesh s i z e s may be computed, and the abunclanc&;iin&

.&ocation. of t h e b a i t . These..da&a. .are o f g r e a t importance t o any contern&

, . .

,., ^{! : .} g&affed ,. ^~ tuna. exploration; .the Central.Pacilfic.

.

. .$ . ^{I .} .

.

_. .. ^' . . ^{: I . . ..}

:, ' i . . ., .

Turtles

. . . ^{. !} .::

S . T - , < ~ S !,$ The green sea t u r t l e (Chelonia L.) was t h e only species ob-

. . , ..

, :

. .

served a t Arno and t h i s species is too scarce t o be of any importance

.. . .> . . . ..

.

^.: . . .

commercially or' otherwise. The hawkshill t u r t l e , Eretmochelrrs imbricat? I

. . / ' . ,

.

^:.. _.,

.~

_- . . . .

. ..

There i s nc shery f o 3lthough t h e n a t i v e s frt n t l y catch them in the stone f i s h traps.

.

.

^{. ,}

.. . . . . . .

I n v e r t e b r a t e s . . . .

. . . . . ^1,1: : 1 ^~ :...,.'

. . 8

Invertebrates of importance t o t h e n a t i v e s hava been l i s t e d previous- . .

l y i n t h i s report. Plans had been l a i d t o analyze species of t h e . g i a n t

. . . < . . ' .

. % : ' : j ' <

_

clams f o r s i n e and age f o r t h e purpose of evaluating t h e e f f e c t s of f i s h -

. .

i n g on them. However, it was discovered t h a t t h e rmst abundant species i n t h e Northern Marshalls, Hivoouus h i o p o ~ u s , was n o t common a t Arno, while t h e largerspecies Tridacna squamosus and

2.

g&g were r a r e or, a s i n t h e l a t t e r case, n o t p r e s e n t a t all. Such anomalies in t h e d i s t r i b u - t i o n of such common species which occur so abundantly both north and south of Arno A t o l l a r e inexplicable a t present. Thus, one of t h e s i g n i f i c a n t differences between n a t i v e s of t h e Northe& and Southern Marshalls i s t h e g r e a t dependence upon t h e s e clams i n the nort h and t h e almost t o t a l disregard of them i n t h e sou

Spiny l o b s t e r s (Panuli

.. . .. ^,

i n considerable q u a n t i t y on both the seaward and lagoon r e e f s . Frequent f i s h i n g t r i p s a r e made, u s u a l l y a t n i g h t w i t h a torch,

to

secure these l o b s t e r s . Many young l o b s t e r s were observed i n small holes in c o r a l heads.

Perhaps t h e most frequently sought marine i n v e r t e b r a t e is t h e "lekedN (Canarum luhuanum luhuanum) a gastropod belonging to t h e family Strombidae.

These occur on t h e lagoon r e e f s by t h e thousands, and a t each low neap t i d e the women and children f l o c k onto the r e e f t o c o l l e c t them. I n s p i t e of what appears t o be one of t h e most intensive of a l l t h i ' k a t i v e f i s h - e r i e s , these gastropods seem to withstand t h e f i s h i n g mortality.

. . . .

7 - - -

.,.-

. -

P l a n t resovrces

;. .

., -

1

.~

,'* . .

.

Like mos-!A c o r a l r e e f s , t h e algae i s sparse except f o r t h e Lithotham-

-~ -

. ^~

; ,

;

. -: l u t e l y no use of t h e algae a s e i t h e r food o r f e r t i l . i z e r .

, . '

I,.

^{. .}

.

^.

I

.

.,'

General Impressions

- , .

. -

. . niuin a t t h e windward r e e f edges. Toward shore on t h e wide windward lagoon

,.

^, _{3 . .} ^'

... ..

" .~ r e e f s d g a e grows more abundantly than elsewhere. The Arnoese make abso-

:;~A -

~

~.

The r e e f s and lagoon of Arno -4toll a r e exceedingly productive of organisms. I n general t h e fauna and f l o r a resembles o t h e r c o r a l a t o l l s o f t h e Central P a c i f i c , b u t c e r t a i n differences a r e s t r i k i n g . M i l e t h e author believes t h a t s t u d i e s on one a t o l l may serve a s a sound b a s i s f o r r e g u l a t i o n s on and i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s of others, it i s c e r t a i n l y obvious t h a t r e a l and important d i f f e r e n c e s do e x i s t . Causes of such d i f f e r e n c e s a r e n o t r e a d i l y apparent, but d e t a i l e d s t u d i e s on ocean currents, upwelling, and l i f e h i s t o r i e s of organisms w i l l shed much l i g h t on v a r i a t i o n s i n species and population d e n s i t i e s and o v e r a l l productivity. I n s e l e c t i n g s i t e s f o r f u t s r e programs of i n v e s t i g a t i o n it would be well t o choose a r e a s i n d i f f e r e n t oceanic environments so t h a t they may be compared with previous s t u d i e s in rezions o f d i f f e r e n t environmental conditions. Such comparisons may enable one t o asdociate v a r i a t i o n s with known environ- mental differences. Once these d i f f e r e n c e s were r e l a t e d t o environmental

changes, g e n e r a l i z a t i o n s f o r a l l a t o l l s within c e r t a i n defined environ- mental conditions could be made.

The marine environment a t Arno i s of g r e a t importance to t h e people b u t it i s underutilized by t h e p r e s e n t population. This i s a s i g n i f i c a n t f a c t because Arno i s considered

to

be a heavily populated a t o l l . Should t h e present l e v e l of population be t h e r e s u l t of n a t u r a l f o r c e s r a t h e r than t h a t imposed by unnatural phenomena, viz., b i r t h control, disease, emigra- t i o n , etc., it i s n o t t h e supply o f marine resources mhich e x e r t s t h e regu- l a t o r y e f f e c t .