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Showing posts with label Spawning Aggregations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spawning Aggregations. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Monday, June 09, 2014
Spawning Aggregations - Snappers vs Snappers!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Feeding Frenzy!
Pic by Paul & Paveena McKenzieGreat footage!
The location is undoubtedly the same as here.
The Groupers are spawning Camouflage Groupers and whereas the majority of the Sharks are Grey Reefies, I also detect one Silvertip, two Sicklefin Lemons and some of the resident Blacktips C. limbatus. This is the holy grail of Shark cinematography, i.e. completely genuine natural predation.
Enjoy!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Caymans' Nassau Groupers - great News!
Great artwork by Guy!Remember this post?
Now, the Cayman Islands have extended the seasonal protection of the endangered Nassau Grouper spawning aggregation sites for another 8 years. Full story here, Guy's reaction here.
And here's a really nice PSA on Guy Harvey's website.
But: why is embedding not enabled - isn't this about spreading the message?
Anyway: Kudos to everybody involved!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Natural Predation - Wow!
Grey Reefs above, aggregating Groupers below - great pics by Paul McKenzie!
Check this out.
Is this awesome, or what?
These are spawning Camouflage Groupers, Epinephelus polyphekadion and you can see how the Grey Reefs attack as soon as the Groupers start ascending in the water column, with one successful predation on 0:55. I found the video on MCSI's Facebook page and having met those very Sharks who have bitten two of my friends (=intrepid Gallic feeders with no gloves) on different occasions, I must say that Michael Domeier who has documented the event is lucky to have escaped unscathed in the process!
The site?
Ah aint gonna tell you, tho Shark aficionados may have divined it from the initial scenes - and no, don't comment! Although this species is very often ciguatoxic (especially in that place!) and may thus escape persecution, spawning aggregations are often targeted by fishermen with catastrophic consequences for stocks.
Case in point: the depleted Nassau Groupers where however the Caymanian authorities appear to be doing a great job:
And then, there's us divers.
Here's what I believe is an equitable look at the pros and cons of dive tourism interfering with such iconic events, this being the famous mating aggregation of Cubera and Dog Snappers, and of the Whale Sharks feeding on their eggs at Gladden Spit.
Very much reminds me of Hanifaru where the Mantas are at risk of literally being loved to death!
Remember the Anthropogenic Allee Effect?
More in an upcoming post!
Is this awesome, or what?
These are spawning Camouflage Groupers, Epinephelus polyphekadion and you can see how the Grey Reefs attack as soon as the Groupers start ascending in the water column, with one successful predation on 0:55. I found the video on MCSI's Facebook page and having met those very Sharks who have bitten two of my friends (=intrepid Gallic feeders with no gloves) on different occasions, I must say that Michael Domeier who has documented the event is lucky to have escaped unscathed in the process!
The site?
Ah aint gonna tell you, tho Shark aficionados may have divined it from the initial scenes - and no, don't comment! Although this species is very often ciguatoxic (especially in that place!) and may thus escape persecution, spawning aggregations are often targeted by fishermen with catastrophic consequences for stocks.
Case in point: the depleted Nassau Groupers where however the Caymanian authorities appear to be doing a great job:
And then, there's us divers.
Here's what I believe is an equitable look at the pros and cons of dive tourism interfering with such iconic events, this being the famous mating aggregation of Cubera and Dog Snappers, and of the Whale Sharks feeding on their eggs at Gladden Spit.
Very much reminds me of Hanifaru where the Mantas are at risk of literally being loved to death!
Remember the Anthropogenic Allee Effect?
More in an upcoming post!
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