Volume 77
Understanding Energy Output During Spawning Aggregation Events of Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus striatus) and Tiger Grouper (Mycteroperca tigris) on Little Cayman, Cayman Islands
Authors
Janelle Layton, Alli Candelmo, Brice Semmens, Christy Pattengill-Semmens, Elizabeth Daly, Croy Mccoy, and Scott Heppell,Other Information
Date: November, 2024
Pages: 84 - 85
Event: Proceedings of the Seventy-Seven Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
City: Gosier
Country: Guadeloupe, French West Indies
Abstract
Spawning aggregations are essential reproductive events for many marine fish species, where large groups gather to spawn briefly (de Mitcheson et al. 2011). This behavior is crucial for Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus striatus), an ecologically and economically significant species now critically endangered due to overfishing (Sadovy et al. 2018). Nassau Grouper and closely related species like Tiger Grouper (Mycteroperca tigris), which is data-deficient, exhibit energetically demanding behaviors during these events (Nemeth 2011; Daugherty 2021), yet quantitative data on their energy output remains scarce. Understanding these dynamics can inform conservation and management strategies.