Counting Nassau Groupers

A WebQuest for 6-8th Grade (Science) Designed by Loris Chen

Introduction

You are part of a team of specialists whose mission is to determine the best way to rebuild the Nassau grouper population. Your team has been invited to make a presentation at an international conference where other teams will be competing for project funding. Will your presentation earn your project funding?

The Task

The population of Nassau groupers may be declining. Old-timers fishing along the reefs of Belize recall a time when thousands of Nassau groupers would spawn in giant columns many meters deep. In 1991, dwindling numbers made the Nassau grouper a candidate for the "Species of Concern" list in the United States and it became protected in U.S. controlled waters. However, Nassau grouper populations may be continuing to decrease in prime spawning areas such as the reefs of Belize. The Nassau grouper is economically important to many fisheries operating in the Caribbean. The decreasing population of Nassau groupers is of great concern to those who rely on the fish for an income.

Your task is to:

1. Find out what has caused the decline in the Nassau grouper population in Belize.
2. Investigate methods for reversing the population trend.
3. Present a proposal that will increase and sustain Nassau grouper populations so that they do not become extinct.

Your presentation must include graphics and visual organizers. Presentations may be in the form of PowerPoint or overhead projector transparencies.

Credits & References

• NOAA Office of Protected Resources http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/nassaugrouper.htm
• Nassau grouper photo by Craig Dahlgren at NOAA http://www.nurp.noaa.gov/Spotlight/GrouperSpawning.htm
• Fish Base http://www.fishbase.org/
• Reef Briefs http://ambergriscaye.com/reefbriefs/
• Green Reef http://ambergriscaye.com/greenreef/prog-nassau.html

Follow these links to go to the rest of the lesson

• The Process
• Conclusion