Survey of Nautilus pompilius Linnaeus, 1758 (Cephalopoda) from Siquijor Island and Dalaguete–Alcoy in the Philippines Using Baited Traps and Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems (BRUVS)

Nautilus fisheries throughout the Philippines supported a worldwide trade in the nautilus shell for decades, with little to no management. A consequence has been significant declines in catch rate and low population abundances. This survey took place in April 2014 at Siquijor Island (9°17′30.7″N 123°38′36.5″E) and Dalaguete–Alcoy (09°43′20.9″N, 123°35′52.8″E) sites using baited traps and baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS). The last report of nautiluses at Siquijor Island was in the early 1980’s and although nautiluses inhabit areas near the Dalaguete–Alcoy area, this site has not been surveyed. At Siquijor Island, zero nautiluses were caught using 27 baited traps and zero nautiluses were recorded from nearly 20 h of BRUVS footage. At the Dalaguete–Alcoy site, one nautilus was caught using 120 traps and zero nautiluses were recorded from 12 h of BRUVS footage. These data are like other fished areas and suggest the populations of nautiluses at the Siquijor and Dalaguete-Alcoy sites are small.