Nassau Grouper populations increased threefold in response to dynamic fishing management actions in the Cayman Islands
A new study from the Grouper Moon Project has documented a successful recovery effort among Nassau Grouper populations in the Cayman Islands. It also highlights the value of collaborative efforts for conservation success.
This article discusses how the Grouper Moon Project has been successful at studying and protecting critically endangered Nassau Grouper in the Cayman Islands.
Coverage of the Grouper Moon Project featuring interviews with several of the Project's scientists.
This paper presents exciting results from the Grouper Moon Project, documenting conservation success for endangered Nassau Grouper. Results of the analysis showed that on both Little Cayman and Cayman Brac in the Cayman Islands, Nassau Grouper spawning aggregations have more than tripled in response to adaptive management by the Cayman Islands government over a decade.
Before coming to REEF, I thought I was fairly good at fish id in the Tropical Western Atlantic. I used to work as a dive instructor on the island of Roatan, off the coast of Honduras, and could always find the interesting species that guests enjoyed seeing like Moray Eels, Groupers, and Rays. When I started as a Marine Conservation Intern, I was very excited to see how much I actually knew. I was eager to go diving and check off all of the species on my survey slate.
Meet January's Fish of the Month, the Potter's Angelfish (Centropyge potteri)!
Survey Regions: Endemic to Hawaii - found only in REEF's HAW (Hawaiian Islands) region!
Size: Up to 5 inches.
Identifying Features: Rusty orange head and back, darkening to bluish black on the lower sides. The entire body is covered with irregular gray-blue lines.
Fun Fact: The Potter's Angelfish is named for Frederick A. Potter, director of the Waikiki Aquarium from its founding in 1903 until 1940.
There are just a few spaces remaining the REEF Field Survey Trip to St. Croix on April 18-25, 2020. St. Croix is part of the U.S. Virgin Islands and is known for amazing wall diving. Running along the northern side of the island, the wall begins in 25-40 feet of water and plunges to 13,000 feet below the surface. This weeklong trip includes 10 total boat dives, on the wall and surrounding reef sites. St. Croix is also home to the the Fredericksted Pier, located across the island. This shore diving site is known for unusual finds like frogfish, batfish and more.
This year, divers in Florida will once again sharpen their spears, hone their lionfish hunting skills, and map out their fishing grounds to compete in REEF’s 2020 Lionfish Derby Series. Their mission: remove as many lionfish as possible to compete for cash and prizes, plus the satisfaction of protecting native fish species. Since 2010, more than 40,000 lionfish have been removed through REEF supported derbies. Lionfish removals are reducing population densities locally; let’s keep the pressure on and protect our fragile reefs.
A new year is here, and we have already started planning for our annual REEF events:
REEF Fest: Oct 1-4, 2020 in Key Largo, Florida: Don't miss this four-day celebration of marine conservation! Events include diving, snorkeling, ocean-themed seminars, and parties. We are still working on the details for this year's event, and anticipate that registration will be available in a couple months. For now, please save the date - more information will be available soon!
