3.1

In South Africa, the mean size of fish has not declined (mid 1980s to mid 1990s), but the current level of fishing mortality has reduced spawning biomass per recruit to 42% of the unexploited level (Fennessy 2000). No historical CPUE (catch per unit of effort) data or historical sex ratio data are currently available. In Mozambique, fishing effort is now substantially higher now than in the mid-1990s, although there are no CPUE data currently available.

The species has a very restricted range, although there is no indication that extent of occurrence or area of occupancy are declining. The reported range is from 24°50'S to 34°05'S (Heemstra and Randall 1993). The species does not occur in water depths much greater than 50 m, and, based on calculated sea floor area to the 50 m isobath, the extent of occurrence of the species is therefore about 15,400 km². The area of occupancy is in reality much less than this, since the species is closely reef-associated, and assuming that 10% of the area of occurrence is reef, then effective habitat (reef) area is about 1,500 km². Not all of this reef area is in fact suitable habitat, since a large proportion of this is coral reef and E. andersoni is not a coral reef species.

This species is classified as Near Threatened as current data indicate a population reduction of ≥30% is possible due to fishing over a 10 year or three generation period where the time period includes both the past and the future i.e., just misses listing as VU A2d+3d+4d – current population trend is unknown but an increase in fishing pressure and the limited range mean that attention is needed for this species. Although the EOO and AOO are small, especially for a marine species with pelagic larvae, there is no evidence of declines, fluctuations or fragmentation in these areas. It also occurs in relatively shallow, and therefore accessible, waters.