The Grouper Moon Project is a collaborative research effort between REEF, the Cayman Islands Department of Environment (DoE), and scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and Oregon State University, aimed at studying one of the largest and last known spawning aggregations of endangered Nassau Grouper.
Each winter, thousands of Nassau Grouper gather at a special location in the waters of Little Cayman to spawn after the full moon. Over the years, the species has suffered dramatic declines due to fishing on spawning sites. 2024 marks the 22nd year of the Grouper Moon Project, which includes monitoring, acoustic tagging, soundscape research, juvenile habitat and genetics studies, oceanographic research, and more.
REEF has developed Grouper Moon educator resources to engage students with this amazing natural phenomenon, and help them understand the ecological and cultural importance of Nassau Grouper as a top predator on Caribbean coral reefs.
Photo (c) Grouper Moon Project, by Tiago Peixoto