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The fate of a popular fish found on the Great Barrier Reef could be in jeopardy, with a new James Cook University study highlighting the impact of marine heat waves on the Spanish Flag Snapper.

JCU researchers have discovered that while the species, commonly known as "Stripeys," can recover from the effects of sharp rises in water temperature, catch-and-release fishing during these events may significantly impact their health and survival rates.

The study, led by former JCU Ph.D. student Shannon McMahon, collected mature adult Stripeys between Cairns and Cape Melville before transporting them to Townsville to simulate marine heat waves (MHW) across twelve 2500L outdoor tanks. The work is published in the journal Conservation Physiology.

"We all know that coral reefs are particularly susceptible to marine heat waves, which cause mass coral bleaching and mortality, but there was a real knowledge gap in the effects of MHW on coral reef fish," Dr. McMahon said.

Aerobic metrics measured in this experiment. The figure shows MO 2 data from a single individual. Credit: Conservation Physiology (2024). DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae060

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