Batfish are good, batfish are great, batfish beat catfish in almost every way!
It seems that these rare pancake-like white and brown striped fish come in especially handy when it comes to protecting things. As it turns out, batfish are the number one protector of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Researchers have found that out of twenty-seven other species, batfish are the only species that can completely remove the thick coverage of algae from the reef. Without the removal of the algae, it would overwhelm and eventually kill off the reef.
This study is important on many levels, one: it show’s the importance of algae-eating fish on reefs, and two: the importance of protecting these fish and making sure that these areas are not subject to overfishing. To prove that it is indeed the batfish that is the great protector of the Great Barrier Reef, and not the parrotfish or even the ultra smart surgeonfish, scientists conducted a three year study fencing off certain sections of the reef. After simulating algae growth, researchers then began to introduce scores of different fish. It was during the reviewing of the film that scientists uncovered the truth. To their complete surprise, the parrotfish and the surgeonfish were simply controllers of the growth, not the destroyers. As researcher David R. Bellwood puts it, “It’s like a garden. You use a lawn mower to keep grass under control. But if you neglect it for too long, trees will grow and then you will need to use a chain saw.†In this case, the parrotfish and surgeonfish are lawnmowers and the batfish is the chainsaw, cool isn’t it? So basically, we need to make sure that these batfish stay near the Great Barrier Reef. Pass on this important news, and if you ever find yourself fishing near the reef in Australia, don’t let thoughts of maple syrup cloud your judgment, simply throw back any peculiar pancake looking fish.
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