Inside the Struggle to Save an Endangered Grouper Species | National Geographic

This female Nassau grouper caught off the coast of Biz is taking her last few breaths. The survival of this endangered species, an apex predator, is critical to the survival of the coral reef. The Bellian Barrier Reef, the second longest in the world, is quietly being decimated by global warming and overfishing. Illegal fishing poses a major challenge for poor countries like Bise as they struggle to protect their natural resources.

Here in Biz City, Julio Ma of the Wildlife Conservation Society receives a tip from a local fisherman. "You know which vessels, Zans?" The tip came from this place, Key Glory, or Emily, as it's known. It bans between December and March every year. During the full moon, the Nassau grouper travel here to spawn. It is one of the most critical spawning sites for Nassau grouper in the world. It is also a haven for fishermen.

By the early 2000s, the Nassau grouper was functionally extinct here, with less than 50 fish left. They're very easy to catch, and it's been a downfall, really. Renowned conservationist and wildlife filmmaker Richard Foster and his wife Carol documented what Emily was like in the 1980s. "They were catching them by the thousands. They put them on strings, they dragged them back to the camp behind the reef, and they put them in big enclosures. Then, they would clean them at their leisure." The fishermen, generally, they um, if they're allowed to, they'll catch the last one.

This amateur video was seized during the recent arrest of Honduran fishermen. All these fish were believed to have been caught in protected marine areas. The fishermen were also caught; they were fined and had their boat confiscated. But for every illegal fishing boat that gets caught, countless more get away. Part of the problem is the lack of real-time intelligence about what's actually happening out at sea.

The Fisheries Department has tried using drones, but they have had more failed flights than successful ones to date. Their drones are made of Styrofoam and do not fly well in windy and wet conditions. They also don't have a live feed, which means they need to wait for the drone to come back safely before they know of any infractions at sea. Julio is trying to push the Basian government to buy better drones. In the meantime, he tags along with the Fisheries Department on boat patrols.

In rough conditions like today, it can take six hours to reach Emily from B City, which means that often the illegal fishermen are no longer there. The cost of the trip in fuel and oil is in the hundreds of dollars. Rodney Castillo is in charge of enforcement. "That is, is going on." He spots a fishing boat in the protected area. As soon as they spot the Bise Fisheries boat, Rodney sees them tossing a grouper from their boat.

"Grouper in water! There's a grouper! Grouper in water!" Rodney scoops an unconscious grouper out of the sea. "Can't go down! This Nas grouper! This is the mark! This is the way to identify Nas grouper by this!" He boards the vessel and sees that the rest of the catch is legal. "Yeah, but then we catch it, let it go." They were not Hondurans after all, but local Bans. He decides to issue them a warning, and so most of their catch was another species and not a Nassau grouper.

"The officer was able to use his discretion and realize that it's not a targeted species, so give them a verbal warning." If you're squeamish, you might want to turn away for a minute. Cleaning the fish, Rodney discovered that this grouper had a belly filled with roe. With a population of just over 10,000 mature individuals left on the planet, this dead grouper could have improved the chances of her species survival. Instead, she is transported to a freezer to be used as evidence in case the fisherman breaks the law again.