As anyone who spends time chasing bonefish knows, mangroves are essential to flats fish. Mangroves help to hold together the flats and shorelines, provide shelter from predators, and they provide habitat for prey species. So, it is an item of high concern when we hear of mangrove die-offs. This is the report from the Marls of Abaco, where guides initially spotted small islands of mangroves dying a few years ago. Unfortunately, since those initial reports, it appears the die-off is spreading.
Although the cause remains unknown, a team from North Carolina State University is on the case, working with guides and lodges to figure this out. They need our help. They ask that people contact them to report areas in the Caribbean that show signs of die-off. The most reliable signs of this phenomenon is severe leaf loss and leaf damage. Any photographs, GPS coordinates, and local knowledge of sites will be used to further investigate what is causing mangrove die-off. Please reach out to the lead scientist Ryann Rossi (ryann.rossi@gmail.com) with any reports.
