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Fishery Bulletin 95(4), 1 997 
decrease in maximum size was counterbalanced by 
a significant increase in the mean size of the catch 
during the same period (Fig. 14). Second, the com- 
parison with GBR may not be valid, because natural 
longevities of the two populations may differ. The 
two populations are nearly 5,000 km apart and they 
dwell in different water temperature regimes; thus 
some geographic variation is likely. Third, the pos- 
sible CPUE decline was not statistically significant 
and was also compromised by occasions when fish- 
ermen targeted species other than A. lineatus. One 
0 10 20 30 40 50 
Age (yr) 
Figure 16 
Growth rates of A. lineatus from American Samoa 
and the Great Barrier Reef (latter data from Choat 
and Axe, 1996). 
group of fishermen we interviewed had been told 
before diving that the fish buyer already had enough 
A. lineatus, thus some low CPUE values may indi- 
cate a saturated market rather than a depleted stock. 
Given the indefinite nature of these indicators, it 
remains unclear whether fishing pressure is having 
a significant effect on the demographics of A. lineatus, 
but the composite picture does not indicate substan- 
tial overfishing. We acknowledge, however, that lo- 
calized overfishing is a distinct possibility. Villagers 
often complained that the night spear fishermen had 
depleted fish stocks along their village coastline. Al- 
though the artisanal fishermen generally rotated 
areas fished to maximize their CPUE, the villagers 
living near the area fished might be left with a di- 
minished resource for a period of time. 
An additional concern is that an increase in fish- 
ing efficiency was in progress in 1995, with a con- 
version from free diving to scuba diving. Catch-per- 
unit-of-effort for scuba diving was more than twice 
that of free diving (3.8 vs. 10.5 kg/h for all species 
combined ). A further concern is that the human popu- 
lation of American Samoa, like that on many other 
South Pacific islands, is increasing rapidly; thus the 
demand on nearshore resources seems likely to in- 
crease (Craig 9 ). 
The lack of overt signs of fishing stress for A. 
lineatus in the artisanal fishery is at odds with ob- 
served declines in the subsistence fishery on the same 
coral reefs. Multispecies subsistence catches dropped 
from 265 and 311 t in 1979 and 1991 (Ponwith 2 ; 
Wass 8 ), to 48 t 1995 (Saucerman 3 ). Catches of A. 
lineatus, a minor component in this fishery, dropped 
from 8 t in 1991 to 1 1 in 1995. Although some 
of this decline may be attributed to reduced 
fishing effort, CPUE for most gear types de- 
clined as well (Saucerman 3 ). 
Causes of reduced subsistence catches are 
not clear but may include a variety of factors 
such as fishing for selected species, a reduced 
reliance on subsistence fishing, and habitat 
degradation (Craig et al. 10 ). Coral reefs in 
American Samoa have been severely damaged 
in the past 15 years by three hurricanes, an 
Acanthaster starfish invasion, temperature 
rises that resulted in mass coral bleaching, and 
sedimentation from land. Whether these en- 
9 Craig, P. 1995. Are tropical nearshore fisheries 
manageable in view of projected population increases? 
Workshop on management of South Pacific Inshore 
Fish., New Caledonia, 26 June-7 July 1995. Joint 
Forum Fisheries Agency — South Pacific Comm., Biol. 
Paper 1, 6 p. 
10 Craig, P, A. Green, and S. Saucerman. 1995. Coral 
reef troubles in American Samoa. South Pacific 
Comm., New Caledonia, Fish. Newsletter 72:33-34. 
FSgure 1 7 
Comparison of catch composition (by weight) of fish families taken 
by subsistence night divers in 1977-80 (see Footnote 8 in the text) 
and artisanal night divers in 1994 (see Footnote 3 in the text). 
