Baros Underwater

The Parrotfish

“Parrotfish” is given to a group of some 90 fish species that form part of a family or Scaridae. The fish vary in size, colour and pattern (even between juveniles, males and females) and are actually hermaphroditic, meaning that female fish can change sex if the need arises. The males are vibrantly coloured while females are more grey, but the change of sex also comes with the incredible change of colour (when a female changes into a male). These fish are herbivores and play an integral ecological role as reefgrazers, their beak-like teeth enabling them to easily scape algae off coral surfaces, which is what they do for the majority of their days. This process of constant eating of algae on the reefs helps to create new areas for baby corals to grow and ensures that algae populations are kept under control. Interestingly, the digestive systems of these incredible creatures (and their molar-like teeth in their throats) help to break the corals into tiny grains of white sand (called bioerosion), which is then “pooped out”, and an average size parrotfish can create 90kg of sand a year. Parrotfish generally live between five and seven years, and after a full day of eating, these fish form a mucus cocoon to sleep in safely or hide in the coral itself. Research shows that coral reefs with a healthy population of herbivorous fishes, in particular, a large parrotfish population, can help restore coral reefs by maintaining the algae cover and creating a clean space for corals to settle and grow. For better coral reef management strategies, parrotfishes were recently declared a protected species in September 2020, making it illegal to catch, trade and display any items made out of parrotfishes in the Maldives.