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Prof. Yvonne Sadovy's Homepage

School of Biological Sciences,

The University of Hong Kong

Breaking News - TRAFFIC and IUCN work together with The University of Hong Kong to reveal illegal trade in the endangered Napoleon fish

Prof. Yvonne Sadovy
(B.Sc. (Hons.), Ph.D. Manchester.)

Tel.: 22990603

Fax: 25176082

Address: Room 3S-01, The Kadoorie Biological Sciences Building,

The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China

email: yjsadovy@hku.hk

Introduction

Prof. Sadovy joined The University of Hong Kong in 1993 after five years as Director of the Fisheries Research Laboratory of the government of Puerto Rico and then as biologist with the Caribbean Fishery Management Council of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA, USA). She was previously based at the Marine Science Department of the University of Puerto Rico. Current teaching activities emphasize the biology, fisheries management and conservation of fishes. Courses taught and for coordinated include Fish & Fisheries, Conservation Ecology, Evolutionary Diversity, Marine Heritage and Conservation Science in Practice at the undergraduate level. From February - July, 2007, she was head of Department just prior its integration into the School of Biological Sciences. She is currently Chair of the Science Faculty Board.

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Research interests

Principal research interests involve the biology and conservation of marine fishes, with particular emphasis on the groupers (Serranidae), and other reef fishes vulnerable to fishery exploitation. Investigations of trade in live tropical food and ornamental fishes, locally, regionally and globally, complement and direct these interests as does the theoretical issue of the risk of endangerment to marine pelagic spawning species from fishing, in general. Field and laboratory-based research involve studies on reproduction, including sex differentiation, maturation and gonadal development, age and growth, the impacts of fishing in relation to reproductive biology, and effective managment for threatened species. Yvonne has a keen interest in public education on marine conservation issues.

Recent an ongoing research includes development of scientific model for sustainable exports of the Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) in relation to its CITES (Appendix II) listing and its role in the live reef food fish trade, and monitoring for management effectiveness (http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/a1237e/a1237e00.htm). Development of scientific protocols for documenting and monitoring fished and unfished grouper spawning aggregations in the Pacific and Caribbean and management of thelive fish trade in SE Asia.

Left: E. polyphekadion , the camouflage grouper. Highly valued for food. (Photo: George Mitcheson)

Left: E. striatus , the Nassau grouper gather to spawn in Belize. (Photo: Enric Sala)

Left: Cheilinus undulatus - can be approached closely when not fished. (Photo: George Mitcheson)

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Related activities

IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature): Prof. Sadovy founded (1998) and is currently co-Chair (with Dr. Matthew Craig) of the IUCN (World Conservation Union Specialist Group on Groupers and Wrasses, and collaborates with conservation groups such as the World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong, Wildlife Conservation Society, TRAFFIC - East Asia AND THE Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In particular her work has focused on threatened species, the Nassau grouper, Epinephelus striatus, in the tropical western Atlantic, and the Napoleon wrasses (Humphead wrasse), Cheilinus undulatus, of the Indo-Pacific region. Work involves research and sustainable management planning in particular in relation to the CITES (Appendix II) listing for the Humphead wrasse (http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/a1237e/a1237e00.htm).

Workshop on illegal, unregulated and unmonitored trade, conservation planning and non-detriment finding of Napoleon (Humphead) wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus Jakarta, Indonesia 8 - 10 December 2015

SCRFA: Her work as the Director of the Science and Conservation of Reef Fish Aggregations (SCRFA) seeks to conserve and manage spawning aggregations globally in recognition of their high vulnerability to exploitation. The first book dedicated to spawning aggregations has just been released, co-edited with Dr. Pat Colin of the Coral Reef Research Foundation, Palau.

Spawning for Survival: 2 and a half minutes documentary for Spawning Aggregations -- Download Quicktime 7 here

Recent and current public positions in Hong Kong: Board member Ocean Park and Chair of Ocean Park Sub-Committee on Education. Member WWF-HK Executive Committee and Chair of WWF Conservation Advisory Committee.

SELECTED MEDIA OUTPUTS:

End of the Line - acclaimed film on global fisheries 2009

Radio Television Hong Kong - Shark Interview - April 9th, 2010 - 'The Pulse'

Hong Kong Pearl Report Sharks - August 1st, 2010

RTHK series Fishy Business - Survival

RTHK series - Where does our Fish come from?

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Postgraduate research

Masters and Doctoral postgraduates work on a wide range of species and issues with emphasis on local fauna, their biology, conservation and management, locally and with international projects in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Recently completed and current research include croaker (Sciaenidae) biology and swim bladder trade, seabream (Sparidae) sexual pattern and fishery, shark fishery history and biology and conservation of local shark species, the coral trout, Plectropomus leopardus, international live reef fish trade, population structure of groupers, and sea cucumber biology and fishery.

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Selected Publications from 2005

Journals

Tuuli, CD, Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y, & Ng WC.( 2016) Molecular identification of croaker dried swim bladders (maw) on sale in Hong Kong using 16S rRNA nucleotide sequences and implications for conservation. Fisheries Research 174: 260-269.
Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y.( 2016) Mainstreaming fish spawning aggregations into fishery management calls for a precautionary approach. BioScience. In press (March).
Mei, Q, Sadovy, Y & Dvornk, V. (2015) Molecular evolution of cryptochromes in fishes. Gene 574: 112-120.

Sale, PF, Agardy, T, Ainsworth, CH, Feist, BE, Bell, JD, Christie, P, Hoegh-Guldberg, O, Mumby, PJ, Feary, DA, Saunders, MI, Daw, TM, Foale, SJ, Levin, PS, Lindeman, KC, Lorenzen, K, Pomeroy, RS, Allison, EH, Bradbury, RH, Corrin, J, Edwards, AJ, Obura, DO, Sadovy de Mitcheson, YJ, Samoilys, MA & Sheppard, CRC. (2014) Transforming Management of Tropical Coastal Seas to Cope with Challenges of the 21st Century. Marine Pollution Bulletin 85: 8-23.

Jackson, AM, Semmens, BX, Sadovy de Mitcheson, YJ, Nemeth, RS, Heppell, SA, Bush, PG, Aguilar-Perera, A, Claydon, JAB, Calosso, MC, Sealey, KS, Scharer, MT & Bernardi, G. (2014) Population
Structure and Phylogeography in Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus striatus), a Mass-Aggregating Marine Fish. PLOS One 9: 1-11.

Cheung, WWL, Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y, Braynen, MT, & Gittens,?LG.( 2013) Are the last remaining Nassau grouper Epinephelus?striatus fisheries sustainable? Status quo in the Bahamas. Endangered
Species Research 20: 27-39.

Ma, KY, Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y, & Chu, K H. (2013) Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers from the camouflage grouper, Epinephelus polyphekadion (Epinephelidae). Conservation Genetics Resources: DOI 10.1007/s12686-013-9974-9.

Vincent, ACJ, Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y, Fowler, SL & Lieberman, S. (2013) The role of CITES in the conservation of marine fishes subject to international trade. Fish and Fisheries DOI: 10.1111/faf.12035

Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y, Craig, MT, Bertoncini, A.A, Carpenter, KE, Cheung, WL, Choat, JH, Cornish, AS, Fennessy, ST, Ferreira, BP, Heemstra, PC, Liu, M, Myers, RF, Pollard, DA, Rhodes, KL, Rocha, LA, Russell, BC, Samoilys, MA & Sanciangco, J.( 2013) Fishing groupers towards extinction: a global?assessment of threats and extinction risks in a billion dollar fishery. Fish and Fisheries DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-2979.2011.00455.x

Liu, M & Sadovy de Mitcheson Y. (2011) Forehead morphology of the humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus (Perciformes: Labridae) in relation to body size. Copeia 23: 15-318.

Chan, WH, Mak, YL, Wu JJ, Jin L, Sit, WH, Lam, CW, Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y, Chan LL, Lam, KW, & Murphy, MB. (2011) Spatial Distribution of Ciguateric Fish in the Republic of Kiribati. Chemosphere 84(1): 117-123.

Campagna, C, Short, FT ,Polidoro, BA, McManus, R, Collette, B, Pilcher, JJ, Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y, Stuart, S & Carpenter, K. (2011) Gulf of Mexico Oil Blowout Increases Risks to Globally Threatened Species. BioScience 61: 393-397.

Lam, VYY, & Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y. (2011) The sharks of South East Asia - unknown, unmonitored and unmanaged. Fish and Fisheries 12: 51-74.

Liu, M & Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y. (2011) The influence of social factors on juvenile sexual differentiation in a diandric, protogynous grouper Epinephelus coioides. Ichthyological Research 58: 84-89.

Tuuli, CD, Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y & Min, L. (2011)Reproductive biology of the greyfin croaker Pennahia anea in the northern South China Sea. Ichthyological Research 58(4): 302-309.

Rasotto, MB, Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y & Mitcheson, G. (2010) Male body size predicts sperm number in the mandarinfish. Journal of Zoology (Lond.) 281: 161-167. (Journal cover picture published from article)

Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y, Liu, M & Suharti S. (2010) Gonadal development in a giant threatened reef fish, the humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus, and its relationship to international trade. Journal of Fish Biology 77: 706-718.

Erisman, G, Mascarenas, I, Paredes, G, Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y, Aburto-Oropeza, O & Hastings, P. (2010) Seasonal, annual, and long-term trends in commercial fisheries for aggregating reef fishes in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Fisheries Research 106: 279-288.

Hoffman et al. (2010) The Impact of Conservation on the Status of the World's Vertebrates. Science 330(6010), 1503-1509.

Claro, R, Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y, Lindeman, KC & Garcia-Cagide, AR. (2009) Historical analysis of Cuban commercial fishing effort and the effects of management interventions on important reef fishes from 1960-2005. Fisheries Research 99 (1):7-16.

Wang, Y, Hu, M, Sadovy, Y Cheung, SG & Shin, PKS. (2009) Threatened fishes of the world: Bahaba taipingensis Herre, 1932 (Sciaenidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 85: 335-336.

Liu, M & Sadovy de Mitcheson. (2009) Gonad development during sexual differentiation in hatchery-produced orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) and humpback grouper (Cromileptes altivelis) (Pisces: Serranidae, Epinephelinae). Aquaculture 287: 191-202.

To, AWL, & Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y. (2009) Shrinking baseline: the growth in juvenile fisheries, with the Hong Kong grouper fishery as a case study. Fish and Fisheries 10(4): 396-407.

Albins, M A, Hixon, M A, & Sadovy, Y. (2009) Threatened fishes of the world: Epinephelus striatus (Bloch, 1792) (Serranidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 86(2): 309-310.

Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y & Liu, M. (2008) Functional hermaphroditism in teleosts. Fish and Fisheries 9: 1-43.

Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y, Cornish, A, Domeier, M, Colin, P, Russell, M & Lindeman, K. (2008) A global baseline for Spawning Aggregations of reef fish. Conservation Biology 22(5): 1233-1244.

Liu, M & Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y. (2008) Profile of a fishery collapse: why mariculture failed to save the large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea, Sciaenidae). Fish and Fisheries 9(3): 1-24.

Mous, PJ, Sadovy, Y, Halim, A & Pet, JS. (2006) Capture for culture: artificial shelters for grouper collection in SE Asia. Fish and Fisheries 7:58-72.

Scales, H, Balmford, A, Liu, M, Sadovy, Y & Manica, A. (2006) Keeping bandits at bay? Science 313:612-613.

Chau, GTH & Sadovy, Y. (2005) The use of mixed fish feed in Hong Kong's mariculture industry. World Aquaculture 36(4): 6-13.

Cheung, W & Sadovy, Y. (2005) Retrospective evaluation of data-limited fisheries: a case from Hong Kong. Fish and Fisheries 14: 181-206.

Pet, JS, Mous, PJ, Muljadi, AH, Sadovy, YJ & Squire, L. (2005) Aggregations of Plectropomus areolatus and Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (groupers, Serranidae) in the Komodo National Park, Indonesia: monitoring and implications for management. Environmental Biology of Fishes 74:209-218.

Liu, M & Sadovy, Y. (2005) Habitat association and social structure of the chocolate hind, Cephalopholis boenak (Pisces: Serranidae: Epinephelinae), at Ping Chau Island, northeastern Hong Kong waters. Environmental Biology of Fishes 74:9-18.

Sale, PF, Cowen, RK, Danilowicz, BS, Jones, GP, Kritzer, JP, Lindeman, KC, Planes, S, Polunin, NVC, Russ, GR, Sadovy, YJ & Steneck, R S. (2005) Critical science gaps impede use of no-take fishery reserves. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 20(2): 74-80.

Sadovy, Y. (2005) Trouble on the reef: the imperative for managing vulnerable and valuable fisheries. Fish and Fisheries 6: 167-185.

Sadovy, Y & Domeier, M. (2005) Are aggregation fisheries sustainable: reef fish fisheries as a case study. Coral Reefs 24 (2): 254-262.

Sadovy, Y & Domeier, M. (2005) Perplexing problems of sexual patterns in the fish genus Paralabrax (Serranidae, Serraninae). Journal of Zoology (London) 267 (1): 121-133.

Sadovy, Y, Randall, JE & Rasotto, MB. (2005) Skin structure in six dragonet species (Gobiesociformes; Callionymidae): interspecific differences in glandular cell types and mucus secretion. Journal of Fish Biology 66: 1411-1418.

Books

Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y & Yin, X. (2014) Cashing in on coral reefs:?the implications of exporting reef fishes. Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs, Mora, C ed., Cambridge University Press, pp. 166-179.
(peer-reviewed)

Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y & Colin, PL.(eds.)( 2012) Reef Fish Spawning Aggregations: Biology, Research and Management, Fish & Fisheries Series 35: pp. 644 DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-1980-4_3, Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Craig, MT, Sadovy de Mitcheson, YJ & Heemstra, PC. (2011) Groupers of the World: A Field and Market Guide. Grahamstown: NISC (Pty) Ltd. 424pp.

Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y. (2009) Biology and Ecology Considerations for the Fishery Manager. Chapter 2, A Fishery Manager's Guidebook, Cochrane KL & Garcia SM eds., FAO/Blackwell Publishing, UK, pp 21-51.

Compagna, C, Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y, Pilcher, N, Hurd, A & Griffin, J.(eds) (2008) Adrift: Tales of Ocean Fragility. IUCN Gland, Switzerland. pp 136.

Liu, M & Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y. (2008) Grouper aquaculture in mainland China and Hong Kong. Chapter 7, The Aquaculture of Groupers, Liao IC & Leano, EM eds., Asian Fisheries Society, Manila, Philippines, World Aquaculture Society, Louisiana, USA, The Fisheries Society of Taiwan, Keelung, Taiwan and National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan, pp 111-142.

Sadovy, YJ, Donaldson, TJ, Graham, TR, McGilvray, F, Muldoon, GJ, Phillips, MJ, Rimmer, MA, Smith, A & Yeeting, B. (2003) The Live Reef Food Fish Trade While Stocks Last, Manila: Asian Development Bank. 147 pp.

Sadovy, YJ & Vincent, ACJ. (2002) Ecological Issues and the Trades in Live Reef Fishes. Chapter 18, Coral Reef Fishes Dynamics and diversity in a complex ecosystem , Sale PF, ed., Academic Press, San Diego , pp 391-420.

Sadovy, Y & Cornish, AS. (2000) Reef fishes of Hong Kong. Hong Kong University Press. 320 pp.

Other publications

Sadovy, Y. (2008) Reconciling fisheries with conserving biodiversity, Symposium 49, pp. 399-411. In Reconciling fisheries with conservation: proceedings of the Fourth World Fisheries Congress (eds. JL Nielsen, JJ Dodson, K Friedland, T R Hamon, J Musick & E Erspoor), American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland.

Sadovy de Mitcheson, Y & Liu, M. (2008) Environmental and biodiversity impacts of capture-based aquaculture. In Capture-based aquaculture (eds. A Lovatelli& PF Holthus), Global overview. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 508. Rome, FAO, 298 pp.

Sadovy, Y, Punt, AE, Cheung, W, Vasconcellos, M & Suharti, S. (2007) Stock Assessment Approach for the Napoleon fish, Cheilinus undulatus, in Indonesia: a tool for quota-setting for data-poor fishes under CITES Appendix II Non-Detriment Finding requirments. FAO Fisheries Circular. No. 1023 Rome, FAO, 71 p. (includes interactive computer interface for NDF calculations)

Sadovy, Y. (2007) Report on current status and exploitation history of reef fish spawning aggregations in Palau. Western Pacific Fishery Survey Series: Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish Aggregations, Volum 3. SCRFA and the Palau Conservation Society, pp. 40.

Sadovy, Y. ( Ed) (2006) Development of fisheries management tools for trade in humphead wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus, in compliance with Article IV of CITES. IUCN Groupers & Wrasses Specialist Group. Final Report April, 2006, 103 pp.

Pauly, D, Alder, J, et al & Sadovy, Y. (2005) Marine Fisheries Systems. Chapter 18, Ecosystems and Human Wellbeing: Current State and Trends, in The Millenium Ecosystem Assessment Series, Vol. 1, pp. 477-511.

Sadovy, Y. (Ed) (2005) Napoleon Fish (humphead wrasse), Cheilinus undulatus, trade in southern China and underwater visual census survey in southern Indonesia. IUCN Groupers & Wrasses Specialist Group. 26 pp.

Sadovy, Y. (2005) Troubled times for trysting trio: three aggregating groupers in the live reef food-fish trade. Secretariat for the Pacific Community Live Reef Fish Information Bulletin 14:3-6.

Sadovy, Y, Colin, P & Domeier, M. (2005) Monitoring and managing spawning aggregations: methods and challenges. Secretariat for the Pacific Community Live Reef Fish Information Bulletin 14: 25-29.

Cornish, A & Sadovy, Y. (2004) Diminishing Returns: spawning aggregations are at risk in the Indo-Pacific. Asian Diver April/May 2004 p. 28.

Sadovy, Y. (2004) Spawning aggregations need managing: an update on the work of the Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish Aggregations. Secretariat for the Pacific Community Live Reef Fish Information Bulletin 12: 29-30.

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