ST. CROIX, USVI, — March 15, 2014 — Scientists have this week been taking a listen in the waters around St. Croix, seeking out the "hot spots" where reef fish meet up to make babies.
And they have been using technology to help them in that search.
What they are looking for are spawning aggregations: gatherings of large numbers of fish – from tens to thousands – at specific times and places for the purposes of reproduction.
Such gatherings are vital to the life cycle of many reef fish but also leave the fish vulnerable to overfishing while they are aggregating, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Knowing where and when the spawning aggregations happen can be a key piece of information in managing a fishery and keeping it sustainable, NOAA ecologist Chris Taylor said in a phone interview.
"We don't know where these spawning events occur in most cases," Taylor said. "So we're using a glider to remotely record for spawning sounds."