Wednesday February 26, 2025
PhysOrg —
Spawning fish are attractive for fishermen. High catch rates can generally be expected during spawning times at specific locations. However, these sites are also very important for the conservation of the fish species that spawn there. With the help of remote underwater video cameras, an international team of scientists has analyzed the spawning aggregation dynamics of the black-saddled coral grouper (Plectropomus laevis) in the South Pacific.
The study, led by the French national institute for ocean science and technology (IFREMER) with the participation of the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), provides valuable information about the spawning aggregations and the courtship behavior of the species and possible conservation measures. The paper is published in the ICES Journal of Marine Science.
The black-saddled coral grouper is a popular food fish. It is considered vulnerable to fishing, and population declines have been reported in some regions of the South Pacific. Researchers from IFREMER and ZMT wanted to find out more about the spawning aggregations of this previously understudied species, also with a view to making recommendations for their protection.
Over a period of 11 months, the research team led by IFREMER Senior Researcher Dominique Pelletier deployed a number of cameras in a reef passage off New Caledonia in the South Pacific. The remote underwater systems were mounted at three stations in varying depths of water.
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