Abstract

The Grouper Moon Project is a collaborative conservation program between Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) and Cayman Islands Department of the Environment (CIDOE) studying Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus striatus). Since 2002, the project has conducted field research and outreach associated with spawning aggregations in the Cayman Islands. In 2011, REEF created and implemented an education program designed to integrate Grouper Moon research into K-12 school classroom activities. The program aims to highlight the ecological, cultural, and economic importance of spawning aggregations to the Caymanian community, and to help build support for the value of Nassau Grouper beyond a fishery resource. Through both structured classroom activities and free-form discussions with visiting scientists, the program presents a multi-faceted view of the Nassau Grouper through a series of interdisciplinary activities. The program was piloted during the 2011/2012 school year with two classrooms and it culminated with live-feed Internet video sessions during which students engaged with scientists while underwater at the spawning aggregation site. These real-time interactions allowed students to experience the excitement of ongoing spawning aggregation research and witness, first hand, a large and active aggregation. We are currently working to expand the program to additional Caymanian schools and other regions of the Caribbean.

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