true

ISRA FACTSHEETS

WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN REGION

ISRA FACTSHEETS

WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN REGION

Laamu Fushi Kandu ISRA

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Laamu Fushi Kandu ISRA

Laamu Fushi Kandu

Summary

Laamu Fushi Kandu is a channel located on the eastern edge of Laamu Atoll, in the central-southern Maldives. The channel is ~850 m wide at the entrance, and 850 m long connecting the inside of the atoll to the open ocean. Laamu Fushi Kandu is characterised by live coral reef, rocky substrate, large coral blocks, and steep reef slopes with a strong upwelling on the outer edge of the channel. This area is a designated as Fushi Kandu Marine Protected Area. Within this area there are: threatened species (e.g., Grey Reef Shark Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos); reproductive areas (Reef Manta Ray Mobula alfredi); and undefined aggregations (e.g., Spotted Eagle Ray Aetobatus ocellatus).

Laamu Fushi Kandu

Laamu Fushi Kandu

DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT

Laamu Fushi Kandu is located on the eastern edge of Laamu Atoll in the central-southern Maldives. Laamu Atoll is encircled by fringing reefs with a small number of atoll channels connecting the inner water of the atoll with the open ocean (Anderson et al. 1992; Sluka & Miller 2001). The area is situated in the channel between the islands L. Maabaidhoo and L. Kanuhuraa. This area encompasses a section of the channel, the channel entrance at the outside of the atoll, and sections of outer reef surrounding the channel including the drop off to the deeper open ocean.

The weather in the Maldives is strongly influenced by the South Asian monsoon, especially the northern and central atolls as these are closer to the Indian subcontinent (Anderson et al. 2011). Therefore, two monsoons annually occur in Maldives. The southwest monsoon (locally known as Hulhangu), from May to November, and the northeast monsoon (locally known as Iruvai), from January to March, with transitional periods in December and April (Shankar et al. 2002; Anderson et al. 2011). The southwest monsoon increases average rainfall and wind speeds, causing rougher seas and reduced visibility; in contrast, the northeast monsoon usually brings clear waters (Stevens & Froman 2019). The monsoonal winds generate oceanic currents mirroring the direction and intensity of the winds that interact with the geomorphology of the Maldivian archipelago generating upwellings through Island Mass Effect (Su et al. 2021)

The area is characterised by a reef with a zonation that includes reef flats, reef crest and reef slope with a steep drop to about 30–50 m, followed by a gentle slope for ~0.5 km that continues and drops to the abyssal depths (Sluka & Miller 2001).  It includes a mixture of healthy coral reef, coral rubble substrate with multiple large Porites coral blocks rising above the rubble substrate. These coral blocks function as cleaning stations which provide opportunities for sharks and rays to be cleaned in often high current areas.

This area overlaps with Fushi Kandu Marine Protected Area (IUL-438-ENV/438/2021/371) designated and managed by the Maldives Ministry of Environment.

This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthopelagic and is delineated from surface waters (0 m) to 60 m based on the observations on habitat use of the Qualifying Species, and the bathymetry of the area.

CRITERION A

VULNERABILITY

Three Qualifying Species considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM regularly occur in the area. These are the Endangered Grey Reef Shark (Simpfendorfer et al. 2020) and Spotted Eagle Ray (Finucci et al. submitted), and the Vulnerable Reef Manta Ray (Marshall et al. 2022).

CRITERION C

SUB-CRITERION C1 – REPRODUCTIVE AREAS

Laamu Fushi Kandu is an important reproductive area for one ray species.

Reef Manta Ray mating behaviour and pregnant females have been recorded. This area is one of the main locations where Reef Manta Rays aggregate in Laamu Atoll. Between 2012–2022, a total of 528 surveys were conducted at this area (this includes dive and snorkel surveys as well as remote camera surveillance), of which 57% (n = 302) recorded Reef Manta Rays. Of the 142 individual Reef Manta Rays recorded throughout Laamu Atoll, 47% (n = 66) were recorded at Fushi Kandu. Since 2012, a total of 1,086 Reef Manta Ray sightings have been recorded at this site, of which 427 have been confirmed sightings through photo-identification. Reef Manta Ray sightings usually peak throughout the southwest monsoon from August to December (IDtheManta unpubl. data 2022).

Reef Manta Ray courtship behaviour has been recorded in 2018, 2021, and 2022, between October and November. The distinct courtship stages observed at Fushi Kandu are initiation, endurance, evasion, and pre-copulation positioning (Stevens et al. 2018). Up to 11 individuals have been observed in a single courtship event, although more common are sightings of 5–7 individuals (IDtheManta unpubl. data 2022). Additionally, in 2018, four pregnant Reef Manta Rays were recorded, with most of them displaying cleaning behaviour (IDtheManta unpubl. data 2022). Females were determined pregnant by the presence of extended abdomens by trained researchers (Stevens 2016).

CRITERION C

SUB-CRITERION C5 – UNDEFINED AGGREGATIONS

Laamu Fushi Kandu is an important aggregation site for one shark species and one ray species.

Laamu Fushi Kandu is one of the most important aggregation sites in Laamu Atoll, together with Laamu Maavah Kandu and Southern Laamu Atoll, where sharks tend to aggregate regularly and predictably year-round, during tidal incoming currents. Laamu Atoll has very few reef passes, with the few channels that exist becoming important areas for shark aggregations. Between October 2017 to August 2023, recreational and research divers conducted 401 surveys obtaining high abundances for Grey Reef Sharks and Spotted Eagle Rays (Maldives Underwater Initiative by Six Senses Laamu unpubl. data 2023).

Grey Reef Sharks are observed aggregating in the upwelling currents generated at the channel entrance. Encounter data were collected by recreational and research divers between 2017 and 2023. A total of 4,736 Grey Reef Sharks were observed at this location in over 401 surveys during the daytime when aggregations are common. Maximum aggregations encountered were 70 individuals but aggregations of between 10–50 are most commonly seen (Maldives Underwater Initiative by Six Senses Laamu unpubl. data 2023). The strong tidal currents at this channel and the nearby drop off to deeper waters creates an upwelling of current in which the negatively buoyant Grey Reef Sharks may be able to rest (Papastamatiou et al. 2021).

Spotted Eagle Rays aggregate in the upwelling currents generated at the channel entrance. Encounter data were collected by recreational and research divers between 2017 and 2023. A total of 2,602 individuals have been observed at this location over 401 surveys, with an average of 6.5 individuals per survey and a maximum of 34 individuals (Maldives Underwater Initiative by Six Senses Laamu unpubl. data 2023). Spotted Eagle Rays also hover in the current, possibly resting (Lauder & Di Santo 2015). This area is of particular significance as it is one of the few sites in Laamu Atoll at which aggregations of this size can be observed.

Laamu Fushi Kandu

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