Long Island Collecting Log: Groupers galore!

by | Oct 23, 2015 | Conservation, Fish | 0 comments


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In the next issue of Reefs Magazine, I’ll be discussing the second most represented fish family in the coastal waters of New England: The Serranidae. Interestingly, most of the species found here are generally considered to be tropical strays that are doomed when winter sets in. One interesting observation I’ve made on my dives in local waters, is that several species tend to start aggregating as the water cools down, which has me wondering whether they might actually be preparing for an off-shore migration. The video below depicts numerous groupers of at least four species, in an unusually high concentration in the rubble fields around the Ponquogue Bridge in Hampton Bays, NY. Can you identify all of them?

  • Todd Gardner is a professor of Aquaculture and Marine Biology at Carteret Community College in Morehead City, North Carolina where he oversees a partnership between the college and The Biota Group, a world leader in sustainably cultured marine life. Todd's life and career have been shaped by his passion for ocean life and he has written numerous scientific and popular articles about his research and experiences collecting, keeping, and culturing marine organisms. Todd’s professional background includes work on a National Geographic documentary, commercial aquaculture at C-quest Hatchery in Puerto Rico, and an 11-year term at the Long Island Aquarium where he spent much of his time developing techniques for rearing marine fish larvae. To date he has raised more than 50 species. In 2013 Todd received the prestigious Aquarist of the Year Award from the Marine Aquarium Society of North America (MASNA). In his spare time, Todd dives, photographs marine life, runs marathons, and makes music.

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