Macroramphosus scolopax

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	SYNGNATHIFORMES	CENTRISCIDAE

Scientific Name:

Macroramphosus scolopax

Species Authority:

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Bellowfish, Common Bellowsfish, Longspine Snipefish, Slender Snipefish, Snipefish, Snipe-fish, Spine Trumpet Fish, Trumpetfish, Trumpet Fish
French	–	Bécasse de Mer, Trompette
Spanish	–	Canario, Musico, Trompetero, Trompetero Copete

Synonym/s:

Balistes scolopax Linnaeus, 1758

Centriscus scolopax (Linnaeus, 1758)

Centriscus squamosus Bloch, 1785

Centriscus velitaris Pallas, 1770

Macroramphosus velitaris (Pallas, 1770)

Macrorhamphosus scolopax (Linnaeus, 1758)

Silurus cornutus Forsskål, 1775

Solenostomus scolopax (Linnaeus, 1758)

Taxonomic Notes:

There is an ongoing debate about whether Macroramphosus scolopax and Macroramphosus gracilus are distinct species.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2010
Assessor/s:	Fritzsche, R., Matsuura, K., Collette, B., Nelson, J., Dooley, J., Carpenter, K., Bartnik, S., Robinson, E. & Morgan, S.K.
Reviewer/s:	Collen, B., Richman, N., Beresford, A., Chenery, A. & Ram, M.
Contributor/s:	De Silva, R., Milligan, H., Lutz, M., Batchelor, A., Jopling, B., Kemp, K., Lewis, S., Lintott, P., Sears, J., Wilson, P., Smith, J. & Livingston, F.
Justification: Macroramphosus scolopax has been assessed as Least Concern. This is a widespread species which is locally abundant in at least parts of its range, although its abundance is sometimes highly variable. Taxonomic research is needed to determine the validity of Macroramphosus gracilis.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Macroramphosus scolopax is distributed in the western Atlantic off the east coast of the USA and the Greater Antilles, northern South America and Argentina. It also occurs in the eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Indo-West Pacific, mostly in temperate latitudes between 20^o and 40^o N. (R. Fritzsche pers. comm. 2009).
Countries:	Native: American Samoa (American Samoa); Angola (Angola, Cabinda); Argentina; Australia (New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia); Brazil; Cape Verde; Cuba; Denmark; Dominican Republic; France; Greece; Guinea-Bissau; Italy; Japan (Honshu); Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Malta; Mauritania; Namibia; New Zealand; Norway; Portugal (Azores, Madeira, Selvagens); Puerto Rico; Samoa; Slovenia; South Africa; Spain; Sweden; Taiwan, Province of China; United Kingdom; United States
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Atlantic – northeast; Atlantic – eastern central; Atlantic – southwest; Atlantic – southeast; Atlantic – northwest; Atlantic – western central; Indian Ocean – eastern; Indian Ocean – western; Mediterranean and Black Sea; Pacific – western central; Pacific – eastern central; Pacific – northwest; Pacific – southwest; Pacific – southeast
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Macroramphosus scolopax is described as usually being very abundant off the coast of Portugal, on the outer continental shelf (Marques et al. 2005, Lopes et al. 2006). Surveys from the 1970s indicated a high abundance of this species, in the region of 360,000 t. During the 1980s, there was a decline in this abundance, followed by an increase again between 1990 and 2003 (Marques et al. 2005). More recent acoustic surveys from 1998 to 2003 indicate a decline in abundance from 500,000 t to 175,000 t. An acoustic survey off the coast of Morocco in 1976 estimated a biomass of 1,300,000 t (Brêthes 1979).
Population Trend:	Unknown

Population:

Macroramphosus scolopax is described as usually being very abundant off the coast of Portugal, on the outer continental shelf (Marques et al. 2005, Lopes et al. 2006). Surveys from the 1970s indicated a high abundance of this species, in the region of 360,000 t. During the 1980s, there was a decline in this abundance, followed by an increase again between 1990 and 2003 (Marques et al. 2005). More recent acoustic surveys from 1998 to 2003 indicate a decline in abundance from 500,000 t to 175,000 t.

An acoustic survey off the coast of Morocco in 1976 estimated a biomass of 1,300,000 t (Brêthes 1979).

Population Trend:

Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Macroramphosus scolopax is a bethopelagic, subtropical species, typically found on the lower continental shelf over sand substrates (R. Fritzsche pers. comm. 2009). This species is also known from the upper slope and oceanic seamounts. While normally found at a depth range of 50–350m, it has also been taken from depths of 600 m. Food items for this species include copepods, foraminiferans, amphipods, gammarid shrimps, polychaetes, and paguridae. This species is found in large schools.
Systems:	Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Macroramphosus scolopax is a bethopelagic, subtropical species, typically found on the lower continental shelf over sand substrates (R. Fritzsche pers. comm. 2009). This species is also known from the upper slope and oceanic seamounts. While normally found at a depth range of 50–350m, it has also been taken from depths of 600 m. Food items for this species include copepods, foraminiferans, amphipods, gammarid shrimps, polychaetes, and paguridae. This species is found in large schools.

Systems:

Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	In the early 1970s, Macroramphosus scolopax was commonly taken in purse seine nets with catch rates of 25–30 tonnes per boat per day, with a landing of 10,000 tonnes in 1973 (Morais 1981). In the late 1970s, landings increased to 33,000 tonnes, where they peaked in 1978 (Morais 1981). Efforts were made to implement the commercial exploitation of this species for fishmeal, but fishing vessels geared for this fishery are limited in number. As this is a schooling species and is found in many fishery zones, it is regularly taken as by-catch. This, in addition to natural variability, is likely to be responsible for much of the decline seen in the biomass of this species in recent years. Considering the wide distribution and reported abundance of this species, the indirect harvest of this species is not considered a major threat at the present time.

Major Threat(s):

In the early 1970s, Macroramphosus scolopax was commonly taken in purse seine nets with catch rates of 25–30 tonnes per boat per day, with a landing of 10,000 tonnes in 1973 (Morais 1981). In the late 1970s, landings increased to 33,000 tonnes, where they peaked in 1978 (Morais 1981). Efforts were made to implement the commercial exploitation of this species for fishmeal, but fishing vessels geared for this fishery are limited in number. As this is a schooling species and is found in many fishery zones, it is regularly taken as by-catch. This, in addition to natural variability, is likely to be responsible for much of the decline seen in the biomass of this species in recent years. Considering the wide distribution and reported abundance of this species, the indirect harvest of this species is not considered a major threat at the present time.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	There are no species-specific conservation measures in place for Macroramphosus scolopax. Changes in net gear size used by the commercial fishing industry is not thought to be viable, as it could be accompanied by a significant loss in the catch of target species. The best solution as proposed by Fonseca et al. in their 2005 study, is to avoid dense schools of Macroramphosus scolopax. Commercial exploitation of this species was stopped in the 1980s after a significant decrease in abundance. Further research is needed on the biology and harvest levels of this species, to help distinguish between natural fluctuations in the population of this species, and fishery-related declines. Taxonomic research is also needed to determine the validity of Macroramphosus gracilis.

Conservation Actions:

There are no species-specific conservation measures in place for Macroramphosus scolopax. Changes in net gear size used by the commercial fishing industry is not thought to be viable, as it could be accompanied by a significant loss in the catch of target species. The best solution as proposed by Fonseca et al. in their 2005 study, is to avoid dense schools of Macroramphosus scolopax. Commercial exploitation of this species was stopped in the 1980s after a significant decrease in abundance. Further research is needed on the biology and harvest levels of this species, to help distinguish between natural fluctuations in the population of this species, and fishery-related declines. Taxonomic research is also needed to determine the validity of Macroramphosus gracilis.

Citation:	Fritzsche, R., Matsuura, K., Collette, B., Nelson, J., Dooley, J., Carpenter, K., Bartnik, S., Robinson, E. & Morgan, S.K. 2010. Macroramphosus scolopax. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 23 May 2013.
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