The importance of parrot fish

Parrot fish eat algae and dead coral.They spend up to 90% of their day nibbling.In other words,they clean the reef.This is important because most of the reefs across the tropics are being smothered by algae because there are not enough parrotfish and other herbivores out there grazing. After all that eating,get this:They poop fine white sand-lots of it!Each parrot fish produces up to 320 kilograms(700 pounds) of sand each year. Their numbers are so depleted,& algae levels are so high ,that they cannot be fished sustainably right now anywhere in the Caribbean.These flamboyant,algae-eating,sand-pooping fish need to be left in the water.And when they are left to chomp away,they do a brilliant job.A massive new report concludes that reefs where parrotfish were abundant in the 1980s are the reefs that are healthy now. Parrot fish are very important.Say no to catching parrot fish and eating them.-David E.Conolly,FACEBOOK,November 11,2019.