526
12 Species Case Studies
disappeared, and it was not present at the same time and location a year after its
initial discovery. The migration of adults, which led to the discovery of the aggregation site, also ceased to occur.
Deloach ( 1999 ) observed a spawning aggregation of blue tang at Turneffe Atoll,
Belize, for 3 days in March, 7 days after the full moon. Large groups swam along
the drop off prior to aggregation, with several converging at the spawning site.
During group-spawning many fi sh had white caudal fi ns. Spawning continued until
20 min before sunset. Pair-spawning also occurred at this site, as well as off Bimini,
Bahamas from May through August.
12.20.3 Conservation of Surgeonfi sh Aggregations
Given the vast lengths of shelf edge reefs, there must be many surgeonfi sh aggregations along them. Since the time and seasonality of aggregations are now known,
searching in late afternoon during winter seasons may make it relatively easy to
locate more aggregations. As specifi c aggregation sites are discovered, they might
make excellent tourist diving sites and be subject to special protection.
The long-term existence of surgeonfi sh (and other resident aggregation species)
aggregations is potentially an important resource for monitoring general health of
reef fi sh populations. Dispersed fi shes gather a specifi c locations and the stability of
their numbers can be an important measure of general reef fi sh populations.
Revisiting known aggregation sites allows the assessment of changes over time,
limited by the methods used for estimating numbers of fi shes involved.
Obviously, some spawning aggregations can cease to exist “naturally” and there
may be a lower threshold of population when they can naturally cease. The apparent
disappearance of the blue tang aggregation at Lee Stocking Island, in the absence of
any known exploitation, is interesting, and may have been of a marginal “critical
mass” for an aggregation to form when fi rst noted.
Acknowledgements Work in Puerto Rico in 1977–1979 was supported by a grant from the
National Geographic Society. The return visits to the site in 2011 were supported by the Caribbean
Coral Reef Institute through award number NA09NOS4260243 from NOAA/CSCOR, Richard
Appeldoorn Principal Investigator and by the Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish
Aggregations.
12.21 Striped Bristletooth – Ctenochaetus striatus and Brown
Surgeonfi sh Acanthurus nigrofuscus with Notes on Other
Indo-West Pacifi c Surgeonfi shes (Acanthuridae)
Patrick L. Colin
Coral Reef Research Foundation, PO Box 1765 , Koror , Palau 96940
e-mail: crrf@palaunet.com
12 Species Case Studies
disappeared, and it was not present at the same time and location a year after its
initial discovery. The migration of adults, which led to the discovery of the aggregation site, also ceased to occur.
Deloach ( 1999 ) observed a spawning aggregation of blue tang at Turneffe Atoll,
Belize, for 3 days in March, 7 days after the full moon. Large groups swam along
the drop off prior to aggregation, with several converging at the spawning site.
During group-spawning many fi sh had white caudal fi ns. Spawning continued until
20 min before sunset. Pair-spawning also occurred at this site, as well as off Bimini,
Bahamas from May through August.
12.20.3 Conservation of Surgeonfi sh Aggregations
Given the vast lengths of shelf edge reefs, there must be many surgeonfi sh aggregations along them. Since the time and seasonality of aggregations are now known,
searching in late afternoon during winter seasons may make it relatively easy to
locate more aggregations. As specifi c aggregation sites are discovered, they might
make excellent tourist diving sites and be subject to special protection.
The long-term existence of surgeonfi sh (and other resident aggregation species)
aggregations is potentially an important resource for monitoring general health of
reef fi sh populations. Dispersed fi shes gather a specifi c locations and the stability of
their numbers can be an important measure of general reef fi sh populations.
Revisiting known aggregation sites allows the assessment of changes over time,
limited by the methods used for estimating numbers of fi shes involved.
Obviously, some spawning aggregations can cease to exist “naturally” and there
may be a lower threshold of population when they can naturally cease. The apparent
disappearance of the blue tang aggregation at Lee Stocking Island, in the absence of
any known exploitation, is interesting, and may have been of a marginal “critical
mass” for an aggregation to form when fi rst noted.
Acknowledgements Work in Puerto Rico in 1977–1979 was supported by a grant from the
National Geographic Society. The return visits to the site in 2011 were supported by the Caribbean
Coral Reef Institute through award number NA09NOS4260243 from NOAA/CSCOR, Richard
Appeldoorn Principal Investigator and by the Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish
Aggregations.
12.21 Striped Bristletooth – Ctenochaetus striatus and Brown
Surgeonfi sh Acanthurus nigrofuscus with Notes on Other
Indo-West Pacifi c Surgeonfi shes (Acanthuridae)
Patrick L. Colin
Coral Reef Research Foundation, PO Box 1765 , Koror , Palau 96940
e-mail: crrf@palaunet.com