Success of conservation efforts for important Caribbean reef fish hinges on climate change
by Esther R Robards-Forbes 16 Jul 2018 05:32 UTC
Caribbean Reef Fish Hinges © Alfredo Barroso
For more than 20 years, conservationists have been working to protect one of the most recognizable reef fish in the Caribbean, the endangered and iconic Nassau grouper, and thanks to those efforts, populations of this critical reef fish have stabilized in some areas. But in a new paper, published in the journal Diversity and Distributions, marine scientists said climate change might severely hinder those efforts by the end of this century.
By 2100, breeding habitats of the Nassau grouper are projected to decline 82 percent from where they were in 2000 if nothing is done to mitigate climate change. These spawning habitats are critical to the survival of the species, said scientists from The University of Texas at Austin and East Carolina University. Additionally, suitable habitats for nonspawning fish are expected to decline 46 percent.
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