Coral Reef Fish & habitats

• The nurse shark (vulnerable), whale shark, and zebra shark (both classified as endangered) were seen at one site each during surveys. However, there were also 2 other reliable reports of whale shark sightings in our area during the year.

• Bumphead parrotfishes were only observed on the reef wall on the north edge of the lagoon. However, they were fairly frequently seen there, typically in schools, and once in a group of 80-100 large (around 1m) mature individuals. This species, the world’s largest parrotfish, is extremely vulnerable to fishery depletion because it is relatively slow growing, long lived, and sleeps in large groups in shallow water so whole schools can easily be fished out in their entirety. They are now highly depleted or even absent across much of their natural range and are listed as vulnerable to extinction.

Sharks observed by dive team in the course of surveys: white-tip reef shark, nurse shark, whale shark, and zebra shark (photo: Viktor Peinermann).