Return Of The Predator Fish and the Effect On The Coral Reef

The return of a top predator in a Bahamas marine reserve is proving beneficial to coral reefs there. The finding is the result of a study by Peter Mumby, a marine biologist and
Dan Brumbaugh, a senior conservation scientist with the American Museum of Natural History in New York.The study area was the Bahamas' Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park..
They found that while the reserve has allowed Nassau grouper to flourish, large species of parrotfish have thrived as well. Parrotfish are crucial to the health of coral reefs, because they are one of the few creatures that graze on seaweed. Left uneaten, the seaweed suffocates the corals and prevents reef growth. The sea urchins were the only other species known to eat the seaweed