Goliath Pacific groupers under threat in a biodiversity hotspot
Goliath Pacific groupers under threat in a biodiversity hotspot
Posted by Carolina Chong Montenegro of National Geographic Explorers in Sciencetelling Storieson December 5, 2017
“If you miss the first shot, it might try to eat you,” Apsalon, a local spear fisherman, told me during an interview for my research. He was once half-swallowed by a massive goliath grouper near one of his favorite fishing spots, Playa Blanca in Chocó, Colombia.
Although they may sound terrifying, these massive fish are so fascinating that I have devoted much of my scientific career to studying them. And while they may seem threatening, they are actually the ones under threat.
Groupers in Colombia and worldwide fetch high prices in markets due to their high-quality flesh. Unfortunately, groupers are particularly vulnerable to overfishing. They take many years (typically, more than five) to become sexuality mature, and many of them gather by the hundreds to reproduce — a behavior known as spawning aggregations. Such gatherings are targeted by fishermen, as more fish can be caught in less time and at lower cost.
The global demand for groupers in combination with the lack of fisheries management is driving many grouper species toward extinction. In 2013, a study by Sadovy et al. assessed all grouper species and found that 12 percent of grouper species are at risk of extinction, 13 percent are near threatened, and 30 percent are currently defined as “Data Deficient,” meaning that not enough information is known about the species to determine their status.
More:
http://voices.nationalgeographic.org/2017/12/05/goliath-pacific-groupers-under-threat-in-a-biodiversity-hotspot/
Environment and energy:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127114186
