Atlantic Goliath Grouper

Photo: victorbach · CC BY-NC

Several large adults — some exceeding 150 kg — have been resident at Monkey Reef for years, using the deep coral heads as ambush posts and territorial anchors. As apex predators they regulate the density of smaller reef fish and maintain competitive balance among invertebrate communities. Cuba's fishing restrictions have allowed this IUCN-vulnerable species to persist here at densities almost absent from most Caribbean reefs.