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Portrait of a Species on the Brink

Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) populations have been severely depleted by humans throughout most of their range. Several large spawning aggregations still exist in the western part of its range near Belize, and these aggregations may provide our last opportunity to learn if and how fish populations are connected among isolated reef sites. Working in Glover’s Reef off Belize, researchers are hoping that what they learn can help save the Nassau grouper from local extinction, which has already occurred on some Caribbean islands.
(Photo by Simon Thorrold, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)