Marine Atlas: Maximizing Benefits for Kiribati

features such as seamounts and mid-ocean ridges (Sutton et al., 2010). Furthermore, mi- grating species, including whales, frequently pause over seamounts and other shallow geographical features (Garrigue et al., 2015). However, there is likely to be a lower density of sampling in Kiribati than many other areas of the world due to its remoteness, which may result in an underestimation of distribu- tion of species richness.

ters at higher latitudes. Again, in Kiribati’s waters, there is a trend for higher benthic species richness close to the equator, decreasing to the north and south. Benthic species richness is usually higher in shallow water compared with deep water; however, this trend is less apparent in Kiribati due to the lack of sample data.

Globally, pelagic fish are generally more abundant in tropical waters and decrease as latitude increases. As the map shows, within Kiribati’s waters, the highest species rich- ness is along the equator, with lower species richness to the north and south of the equa- tor (see also chapter “Voyage to the bottom of the sea”). Generally, large geographic features that rise off the sea floor interact with currents (see also chapter “Go with the flow”). Pelagic fish abundance and biomass can, therefore, peak deep in the water col- umn in association with abrupt bathymetric

Similarly, tropical waters tend to have a higher benthic species richness than wa-

The Zebra shark is found throughout the tropical Pacific, but listed as endangered species.

5°N

BENTHIC MARINE SPECIES RICHNESS (number of species)

5°N

1 - 67 67 - 121 121 - 192 192 - 260 260 - 308 308 - 338 338 - 409 409 - 962

0°

Kiribati Provisional EEZ Boundary

200 100

400 km

0°

Copyright © MACBIO Map produced by GRID-Arendal Sources : Becker et al, 2009; Claus et al, 2016; Kaschner et al, 2016; Smith and Sandwell, 1997.

5°S

170°E

175°E

180°

175°W

170°W

5°S

0°

Pelagic or benthic? Some marine species move from one place to another, while others tend to stay in the same location. These spe- cies are described as either “pelagic” or “benthic” (see also chapter “Still waters run deep”).

10°S

5°S

160°W

155°W

150°W

MAXIMIZING BENEFITS FOR KIRIBATI

OCEAN VALUES

27