The parrot fish are an integral part of the coral reef ecosystem because they eat the excess algae, which allows the coral to survive. The result was that algae growth soon overtook the coral and ...

These industrious fish spend the majority of their lives cleaning coral reef systems by eating the ... which are melded together like chain mail to form a parrot-like “beak” that chews away ...

Parrot fish are available whole, gutted and frozen. They are available year round. Many reef-dwelling species are considered to be over-exploited. If you have concerns ask your fishmonger.

Then we hopped in a boat and motored out to a nursery in 30 feet of water, well removed from the larger reef — and any coral-munching parrot fish or cushion stars. Garber donned a tank and took ...