November 17, 2021: Cardinal Fish
Image courtesy of Coral Ecosystem Connectivity 2015 expedition. Download larger version (jpg, 789 KB).
This school of cardinal fish, Apogon sp., was observed among the green alga Anadyomene menziesii on Pulley Ridge during the Coral Ecosystem Connectivity 2015: From Pulley Ridge to the Florida Keys expedition. This expedition built on prior work in 2013 and 2014. The overall goal of the project was to gain a better understanding of the role that the relatively healthy deep, mesophotic reefs of Pulley Ridge (off the southwest coast of Florida) may play in replenishing key fish species, such as grouper and snapper, and other organisms in the downstream reefs of the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. Because of the well-documented decline of Florida’s reefs, it is important to identify, protect, and manage sources of larval reef species that can help sustain Florida’s reef ecosystems and the tourism economy that depends on these ecosystems.
From: Looking Out for the Little Ones.