More Parrot Fishes – More clean Reefs

 

Parrot fish is a colorful species that belongs to Family Scaridae and about 80 fish species are identified. Most of parrot fishes are herbivorous and mainly feed on epilithic algae while some of them survive on sessile and benthic invertebrates, zooplanktons, bacteria and detritus.

Parrot fishes can be found in relatively shallow tropical ocean. The largest richness is known to be coral reefs, rocky coasts, and seagrass beds. Those fishes grow up to 1.2 meter and maximum size can be vary with the species.

Their dentition is the reason to introduce them as parrot fish. Numerous teeth have been arranged in a tightly packed mosaic structure on the external surface of their jaw bones and it is similar to the beak of a parrot.

Local name for them is “Giraw”. Even though Sri Lankans are not very interested in these fish, some countries widely consume this fish. Parrot fishes also serve as a significant tourist attraction to Sri Lanka.

When talking about the service that parrot fishes provide, we can observe that they eat algae and dead corals, normally 90% of their day spend for nibbling. In addition to that, each parrot fish can create 700 pounds of sand each year in their lifetime! This fish plays a significant role in Bio-erosion and also critical role in maintaining reef health. However, unfortunately by now their numbers are so depleted and algae level are increasing due to overfishing.

It has been named as environmental friendly and endangered fish in order to reduce fishing and other anthropogenic activities related to fishing. Some countries have prepared restrictions to ban parrot fish fishing. If the ban is a positive step to overcome from this, the local communities need support and encouragement to sustainable fishing practices and alternative to parrot fish. Our responsibility is to inform responsible authorities and take actions to protect this valuable fish. Let’s contribute to have clean reefs by more parrot fishes.

Written by: Udani Jayasingha

 

References: www.britannica.com

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                     en.m.Wikipedia.org