DID YOU KNOW? With Caymans vitally important spawning aggregation sites and this months full moon, Caymans fish have definitely been in the right place at the right time! This month we observed mass spawning (reproduction by means of eggs and sperm released into water) of approximately 4000 endangered Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus; see video), Tiger grouper (Mycteroperca tigris), Bar jack (Carangoides ruber) and Horse-eye jack (Caranx latus). But it didnt stop there, we also observed pre-spawning indicators (colour changes, courtship behaviours and unusually high densities) in Yellowfin grouper (Mycteroperca venenosa), Black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci), Black jack (Caranx lugubris), Chub (Kyphosus incisor), French angelfish (Pomacanthus paru), and Whitespotted filefish (Cantherhines macrocerus) at Little Caymans western SPAG! To add to all this, upon our researchers return, we have observed a large aggregation of Blue tangs (Acanthurus coeruleus) spawning at Eden Rock and some beautiful courtship behaviour between a couple of Porcupinefish (Diodon hystrix) last night at Macabuca, Grand Cayman! All these findings are part of the DOEs Darwin Post-project research into the spawning aggregation sites of the Cayman Islands, looking into which species are using these sites for reproductive purposes and when throughout the year. There is a great deal going on down there, with our fish producing the next generation of fish for our reefs. We have counted a lot of fish which is encouraging, but these fisheries have historically been heavily fished and are just recovering. Can you imagine how many fish could be there once the populations have recovered to healthy levels?! This research affirms the importance of Caymans spawning sites as the fish labour wards of our reefs and why we need to protect them if we want to keep fish on our reefs and on our plates. Stay tuned for more video! Project partners: Cayman Islands Department of Environment, Bangor University: School of Ocean Sciences, REEF Reef Environmental Education Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, with kind sponsorship from the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. (Video: Doe Cayman)
Posted on: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 16:19:26 +0000
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