@article{fdi:010060477,
  title = {{C}limate variability and massive mortalities challenge giant clam conservation and management efforts in {F}rench {P}olynesia atolls},
  author = {{A}ndr{\'e}fou{\¨e}t, {S}erge and {V}an {W}ynsberge, {S}. and {G}aertner-{M}azouni, {N}abila and {M}enk{\`e}s, {C}hristophe and {G}ilbert, {A}. and {R}emoissenet, {G}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{I}n 2004, the first no-take area ({NTA}) dedicated to the conservation of giant clams {T}ridacna maxima was implemented in {T}atakoto {A}toll, {F}rench {P}olynesia. {T}his {NTA} protected a unique area worldwide, with extraordinarily high giant clam densities (up to 337 individuals per m(2) on 20-m transect). {I}n 2012, a stock assessment survey revealed a dramatic decrease of the clam population. {T}he reduced densities peaked at 38 ind m(-2) and the stock in the {NTA} decreased from 20.1 +/- 6.0 million to 1.9 +/- 0.55 million clams (mean +/- 95% confidence interval). {L}osses of similar proportions were observed throughout the atoll. {R}emarkably, the 83% overall loss of this natural resource used daily for consumption and for exports of clam meat to {T}ahiti {I}sland went unnoticed by the local population. {F}ield clues, including the size of live juveniles attached to the inside of dead shells, pointed to a massive mortality occurring about 3 years before the 2012 survey. {E}xaminations of sea surface temperature satellite data identified a high range of temperature variations before {M}arch 2009. {I}n agreement with past and recent events in other atolls, this anomaly is the most likely explanation of the massive loss of giant clams in {T}atakoto {A}toll, although the exact hydrological and biological secondary mechanisms that occurred in the lagoon remain unclear. {T}he consequences of the massive die-off inside and outside the {NTA} require new long-term management strategies, by reinforcing the top-down national giant clam management arrangements and by setting flexible management objectives across a network of islands.},
  keywords = {{T}uamotu archipelago ; {T}ridacna maxima ; {F}isheries management ; {C}ommunity-based management ; {CITES} ; {T}op-down conservation ; {B}ottom-up conservation ; {POLYNESIE} {FRANCAISE} ; {TUAMOTU} {GAMBIER}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{B}iological {C}onservation},
  volume = {160},
  numero = {},
  pages = {190--199},
  ISSN = {0006-3207},
  year = {2013},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.biocon.2013.01.017},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010060477},
}