"Bold" Parrotfish Help Keep Coral Reefs Colorful

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"Bold" Parrotfish Help Keep Coral Reefs Colorful

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Parrotfish are as beautiful as they are bold. Feisty and charismatic, with the colors to match, parrotfish are a coral reef's best defense against the war with algae. See them in action in this new video short, part of a new series by The Pew Charitable Trusts. http://www.pewtrusts.org/oceanscience.

When it comes to grazing, coral reefs are the perfect place for a hungry parrotfish. These colorful fish spend 90 percent of their day eating algae or "sea weed" from reefs in the Caribbean and around the world. Their voracious appetite is vital to the survival of these corals and the health of the reef.

Ecologist Peter Mumby, a professor at the University of Queensland in Australia and a Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation, studies coral in both the Caribbean and Pacific. He's learned that no-take marine reserves, where fishing for parrotfish is prohibited, may make coral reefs six times more resilient to coral bleaching and other disturbances. 

Learn more about Peter Mumby's Pew marine fellowship: http://www.pewenvironment.org/research-programs/marine-fellow/id/8589941249/project-details.

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