Abstract

Previous studies of grouper habitat have been mainly descriptive, emphasizing general community characteristics. A study was initiated in the central Bahamas to quantify key benthic habitat parameters in relation to individual groupers with previously estimated home ranges. A 10 x 13 m2 grid was positioned over the home range of two coneys (Epinephelus fulvus) and a juvenile Nassau grouper (E. striatus). Parameters utilized to characterize features of the benthic community included: 1) percent coverage of conspicuous benthic invertebrates and algae, and 2) density and area coverage of sponges and stony corals. The positions of groupers within the grid were recorded every 30 seconds for random twenty-minute intervals over a period of twelve days. The presence or absence of a grouper cleaning station was found to have the most significant effect on space utilization. Other habitat variables, including sponge density, coral colony density, and coral area coverage, were found to be of secondary importance. This study attempts to quantify important habitat parameters for groupers. The results may have implications for the design of marine fisheries reserves in the tropical western Atlantic.

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