GREENVILLE, N.C. / AGILITYPR.NEWS / August 21, 2025 / GREENVILLE, N.C. (08/21/2025) — The Nassau grouper is an economically, biologically and culturally important species in the Caribbean that has been threatened by overfishing and the impacts of rising ocean temperature in spawning behaviors. However, research completed by a pair of East Carolina University biologists offers hope that protected areas of cooler water will help in conservation efforts.

Associate professor Dr. Rebecca Asch and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Brian Bartlett co-authored a paper “Fish spawning aggregations and climate change,” which was published in the journal Global Change Biology earlier this week. Asch and Barlett conducted research about the spawning aggregations of the Nassau grouper. They found that while grouper are more sensitive to water temperature when they’re actively spawning, some regions known as “climate refugia” have cooler water and offer a haven during spawning periods. They noted that better protection of these cool water areas is important for the future of the species.

“This is a big charismatic, attractive reef fish. These are what we want to see in our healthy reefs,” said Bartlett. “The big picture takeaway is that these regions will provide some sort of refuge.”

Their study provides a bit of hope for Nassau grouper conservation efforts. The fish is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and all harvest is prohibited in the United States. Previous studies painted a dire picture in terms of prospective spawning habitat, but many protected areas are locations that are climate refuges particularly during winter months. This could be especially beneficial for Nassau grouper which spawn during that time.

Though their study focuses on Nassau grouper, the findings are transferable to other economically vital groupers including yellowfin and black grouper as well as some species of snapper, according to Bartlett. These locations are important for multiple species during different times of year.

“Fish will travel many miles away at certain times of year specifically to spawn, and because of that, they’re really important areas for conservation,” said Asch. “A lot of them are on the outer edges of reefs and they’re often used by many different species, but not always at the same time.”

Asch and Bartlett believe that while it’s not too late to save the Nassau grouper, decisions must be made quickly.“A lot of the conservation measures that we have in place look like they’ll continue to help and we want to make sure that efforts are made to ensure that those special places for spawning aggregations are conserved both now and in the future,” said Asch.