Executive Summary

• Main Authors: Photo J. E. Maragos, Wildlife Service
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Pacific; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.368.3545; http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/petitions/bumphead_parrotfish_petition_2010.pdf

The Bumphead Parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) is a marine fish that feeds primarily on coral. It occurs in many countries in the Pacific and Indo-Pacific, including islands governed by the United States. While wide-ranging, scientists describe it as declining across its range and nearly eliminated from many areas. The primary threat has been overfishing, to which this fish is especially vulnerable due to its behavior of sleeping in large groups at night near reefs. Growing threats are coral bleaching and ocean acidification, both due to climate change. The Bumphead Parrotfish’s fate is tied to coral, as each fish consumes over 5 tons of coral every year. Coral consumed by the Parrotfish is excreted as coral sand, which is important to sustain the coral ecosystem, as well as providing beautiful white sand beaches enjoyed by tourists. Given the economic importance of tourism in the range of the Parrotfish, this species provides an invaluable ecosystem service to humans. An even more important way in which Parrotfish benefit humans is by protecting coral reef ecosystems, which are vital to safeguarding human coastal populations from impacts of extreme weather events. We do not respond in kind: the Parrotfish continues to be overfished; is in decline across