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ISRA FACTSHEETS

NEW ZEALAND & PACIFIC ISLANDS REGION

ISRA FACTSHEETS

NEW ZEALAND & PACIFIC ISLANDS REGION

Pasa Beach ISRA

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Pasa Beach ISRA

Pasa Beach

Summary

Pasa Beach is located in Ahnd Atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia. The area is situated in the lagoon waters on the inside of the atoll and stretches the length of Pasa Island. It is a shallow area, characterised by sheltered waters with a sandy substrate. Within this area there are: threatened species and reproductive areas (Blacktip Reef Shark Carcharhinus melanopterus).

Pasa Beach

Pasa Beach

DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT

Pasa Beach is located in Ahnd Atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia. Ahnd Atoll is situated southwest of the capital of Pohnpei and the area is situated within the lagoon waters on the inside of the atoll and stretches the length of Pasa Island. Although the atoll has steep bathymetry (Rowley et al. 2019), the area is shallow, characterised by sheltered waters with a sandy substrate. Ahnd Atoll has a high diversity of Indo-Pacific fish species and has been established as Pohnpei’s most important marine Area of Biodiversity Significance (George et al. 2008).

This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthic and pelagic and is delineated from inshore and surface waters (0 m) to 10 m based on the bathymetry of the area.

CRITERION A

VULNERABILITY

One Qualifying Species considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species regularly occurs in the area. This is the Vulnerable Blacktip Reef Shark (Simpfendorfer et al. 2020).

CRITERION C

SUB-CRITERION C1 – REPRODUCTIVE AREAS

Pasa Beach is an important reproductive area for one shark species.

Between 2013–2024, neonate and young-of-the-year (YOY) Blacktip Reef Sharks were regularly observed during beach walks in the area (J Hartup pers. obs. 2024). Surveys were mostly conducted during the boreal summer months (May–September), when Blacktip Reef Sharks were observed in the shallow waters off the beach during every visit to this area. Based on visual estimations, the average size of the sharks was ~30 cm total length (TL). Approximately 5–10 sharks were seen during each visit. Size-at-birth for this species is 30-52 cm TL (Ebert et al. 2021), indicating that observations are likely to be neonate or YOY individuals. Only 1–2 surveys are conducted in the area per year owing to the remote location, however, sharks were observed on all 25 surveys during the study period. Citizen science reports from tourism operators confirm the predictable aggregation of young Blacktip Reef Sharks year-round in the area (V Hawley pers. comm. 2024). Beach walk surveys have been conducted in multiple areas around Ahnd Atoll and neonate or YOY Blacktip Reef Sharks are not seen outside of the area (J Hartup pers. obs. 2024), highlighting the importance of this area for the early life stages of this species.

Pasa Beach

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