Population monitoring of Holothuria scabra (sandfish) on Warrior Reef, Torres Strait 1998

The sandfish on Warrior Reef were surveyed at 50 sites from 14 to 17 January 1998. This showed that the abundance of Holothuria scabra (sandfish) on Warrior Reef in January 1998 was between 63% and 86% (95% CI, mean 77.5%) smaller than in November 1995. The H. scabra stock in November 1995 was considered as over-exploited, therefore this reduction indicates a serious depletion. Both the fishery (2+ years old) and recruiting (one year old) year-classes are depleted, the latter the result of a depleted breeding population, indicating a direct stock-recruitment relationship for H. scabra on Warrior Reef. This indicates that the fishery stock is in a downward spiral, with progressively smaller breeding populations leading to smaller and smaller recruitments. Severe management measures are required to avoid a total collapse of the stock.