Nassau grouper were once the most common large grouper inhabiting the coral reefs of the Caribbean. Prior to the 1970s, their populations were able to sustain relatively heavy fishing pressure from traps, lines, and spears in shallow waters throughout much of the Greater Caribbean region. However, in the 1970s, the expansion of local fisheries to deeper offshore waters led to the discovery of large grouper spawning aggregation sites where hundreds and thousands of Nassau grouper, and other species, gathered to spawn during specific months and locations. What followed is a textbook perfect storm scenario of the near extinction of a species.

Nassau grouper are now listed as commercially extinct on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List (IUCN) and is considered “Threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.

See how conservation efforts and partnerships with local fishermen are helping bring this species back from the brink of extinction.

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